Nathan Cofnas said in a post on X he was grateful to Ghent’s rector ‘for allowing me to stay’. Photograph: Adam Gerrard/Mirrorpix View image in fullscreen Nathan Cofnas said in a post on X he was grateful to Ghent’s rector ‘for allowing me to stay’. Photograph: Adam Gerrard/Mirrorpix Jason Arday Jason Arday accuser given three-month teaching ban but can continue research Nathan Cofnas told by Ghent University to work remotely as US ambassador claims credit for lifting of suspension
Prefer the Guardian on Google Prof Jason Arday’s accuser Nathan Cofnas has been barred from teaching on Ghent University campus for three months but has been allowed to continue his research position.
Cofnas, an American academic, was suspended from his postdoctoral research position at the Belgian institution earlier this month pending a “preliminary investigation” launched after Arday’s death.
Ghent did not name Cofnas but has since confirmed that it has “imposed a disciplinary measure” on a staff member for three months, under which they were “required to work remotely and may not carry out any teaching”. Cofnas’s research activities in the role have been “strictly limited to the research topics for which the appointment was made”.
In a post on X, Cofnas said he was grateful to Ghent’s rector, Petra De Sutter, “for allowing me to stay”.
The US ambassador to Belgium , Bill White, who had criticised Cofnas’s suspension, claimed on his official X account that the university and Cofnas had “amicably reached an agreement” to lift the suspension, enabling the academic to complete his one-year appointment.
In a statement, Ghent said an inquiry was under way “to determine if further disciplinary action is warranted”. The university later confirmed it had been in contact with the US ambassador, who “provided further context regarding his statements on X”.
Cofnas’s role at Ghent has been controversial. In May, the university’s philosophy department alleged to the institution’s leaders that Cofnas had “very limited expertise” for his role researching “the future of liberalism” and that he had a “far-right agenda”.
In July Cofnas accused Arday, a University of Cambridge sociologist, of plagiarism, alleging also that there were “serious questions” about his biographical claims. Arday was found dead on 14 August.
View image in fullscreen Jason Arday was found dead on 14 August. He was accused of plagiarism by Cofnas. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian White, a Donald Trump supporter, donor and fundraiser , had called Cofnas’s suspension “truly unacceptable”, calling earlier this month for De Sutter to rescind it immediately.
On Friday, White wrote on his personal X account: “I just saved Belgium from a complete global media meltdown and well deserved spanking by @elonmusk and everyone by resolving the UGHENT Cofnas matter – quite quickly.”
The previous night, Cofnas thanked White and the US state department for “defending American values” on X, adding: “It was beyond my imagination that such a person would take an interest in the fate of a postdoc. The Ambassador responded with great support which helped to bring about a just outcome.”
Cofnas has been accused of promoting pseudoscientific ideas of racial difference in his online writings, and was reportedly among bloggers recommended to the Palantir founder Peter Thiel by a “race science” researcher.
Cofnas has also hit out at Trump and Maga in his writing, while claiming the US president’s executive…