US ambassador to Belgium defends controversial academic who scrutinized late Cambridge professor

Nathan Cofnas was suspended from Ghent University in Belgium pending an investigation following the death of Jason Arday.

U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White on Friday condemned the decision made by Ghent University to suspend researcher Nathan Cofnas over his plagiarism accusations against Jason Arday. White said on the social platform X the decision made by the university to put Cofnas under investigation was “retaliation against an A

The United States Mission to Belgium condemns, in the strongest terms, Ghent University's retaliation against an American scholar following his accurate whistleblower reporting on academic fraud.The United States government regularly funds and supports research, academic

Jason Arday, who has died at 41, was a sociologist whose remarkable rise from impoverished beginnings led to his appointment as the youngest black professor at the University of Cambridge. But his success precipitated his downfall when he resigned after an investigation into his academic qualifications and allegations

Ghent University in Belgium has suspended Nathan Cofnas, the postdoctoral scholar who accused the late Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism.

Cambridge professor Jason Arday was found dead at his home in London on Aug. 14, 2026, days after he resigned from his position amid accusations of plagiarism, which he had denied. Nordin Catic/Getty Images After a meteoric rise to the top ranks of British academia, scholar Jason Arday was found dead at his London hom

“They will almost certainly fire me,” predicted American philosopher Nathan Cofnas.