US envoy backs controversial scholar amid Cambridge plagiarism saga after professor’s death
The U.S. ambassador to Belgium publicly defended Nathan Cofnas, an American postdoc who accused Cambridge professor Jason Arday of plagiarism and sparked a broader dispute in higher education. Arday, who became Cambridge’s youngest Black professor, was found dead in London amid intense scrutiny; Cofnas has been suspended by Ghent University as it probes issues around Arday’s credentials. The ambassador said the U.S. will review ties with Ghent, noting U.S. research funding at the university, while Cambridge had initially backed Arday before opening its own inquiry and Arday’s family described a campaign of misinformation.