Peter Thiel-Linked Race Science Network That Penetrated Cambridge University

Aug 19, 2026 05:22 PM - 2 hours ago 1

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Jason Arday, a 41-year-old world who resigned arsenic Cambridge’s Professor of Sociology of Education, was recovered dormant connected Friday pursuing aggravated scrutiny of galore aspects of his qualifications and individual life by the mostly of the established press.

His coordinated targeting by an explicitly anti-black title subject web did not travel retired of nowhere, Byline Times tin reveal.

Backed by the pro-Trump Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, this web has spent a decade penetrating Cambridge University earlier reaching Reform UK, Restore Britain, and the pan-European far-right.

This shape of the run against Jason Arday began erstwhile world and anti-black racist Nathan Cofnas raised claims of plagiarism successful Arday’s activity successful a Substack station past month.

The communicative it fuelled was past dissected successful much than 200 articles crossed the mostly of the British property successful the weeks that followed, some successful people and online.

It was striking that galore of these articles did not admit that the cardinal accusations were being made by a man who believes that inherited group differences make achromatic group little intelligent and would time off achromatic group absent from virtually each elite position successful nationalist life extracurricular of athletics and entertainment.

They besides did not mention that Cofnas had utilized the position “retarded”, “illiterate”, and “mentally disabled” to picture Jason Arday, while noting that he was “black”.

Cofnas said that an unidentified antheral Cambridge module personnel had supplied him pinch accusation astir Arday. Before moreover examining Arday’s PhD thesis, completed astatine Liverpool John Moores University, Cofnas had dismissed him arsenic “just different DEI hire”, referring to ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ schemes.

At the ideological centre of the web is Aporia, an online mag which serves arsenic the public-facing limb of the Human Diversity Foundation – now known arsenic Polygenic Scores.

The Human Diversity Foundation was a rebranded and relaunched type of the Nazi-era Pioneer Fund, which sought to mainstream its eugenics doctrines done Aporia.

Tech billionaire Peter Thiel has cultivated ties to cardinal actors successful this network: to Cambridge Professor James Orr, done whom he channelled a aid to Cambridge; to Orr’s Cambridge circle; to online mag Quillette which published attacks connected Arday; and directly to Nathan Cofnas and Aporia elder editor Noah Carl.

Orr linked this infrastructure to politics. Reform UK’s Head of Policy, and an advisor to theSpeech Union organisation, he invited Aporia into nationalist conservatism.

At The Sanctuary, a correct helping hub successful Westminster, Aporia and the Orr-backed Cambridge Scrutonian Society person abstracted offices provided by cryptobillionaire Ben Delo.

Delo gave Reform £4 cardinal successful early 2026. He has besides sponsored theSpeech Union.

By knowing this web and its ideology, a much meticulous image tin beryllium developed of the motivations down the disproportionate attacks connected Jason Arday that continued moreover aft his resignation from Cambridge University.

‘A Random Black Person’

On 21 July, Nathan Cofnas published the article which launched the run against Jason Arday.

Titled ‘DEI Fraud and Cover-Up astatine Cambridge’, he portrayed Arday’s assignment to Cambridge University successful 2023 arsenic grounds that it had “grabbed a random achromatic person” and abandoned world standards successful pursuit of diversity.

On 9 August, Cofnas said that a antheral module personnel astatine Cambridge University – who he said he was not allowed to sanction – had contacted him connected 13 June pinch accusation astir Jason Arday. He referred to this personification arsenic a whistleblower who feared master retaliation.

Cofnas past examined Arday’s PhD thesis and published his allegations astir alleged plagiarism.

Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) had already formally tested the cardinal allegation astir Arday’s PhD the erstwhile year, pursuing claims by The Times and The Telegraph.

Its enquiry recovered citation defects but did not uphold plagiarism, concluding that the problems were caused by “honest and reasonable error”, compounded by inadequate supervision regarding Arday’s learning disabilities.

Arday told The Times that his autism affected really he processed accusation and that his early world activity relied heavy connected mimicry to make consciousness of material. He accepted work for mistakes but denied dishonesty.

LJMU reached its uncovering independently of this explanation. It is plausible that these issues whitethorn explicate questions astir immoderate of Arday’s different papers.

The allegations drove a nationalist news rhythm of much than 200 articles crossed The Times and The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, the Daily Mail, The Independent, the Spectator, the Guardian, the Daily Express, The Sun, and Novara Media.

That measurement cemented disputed aliases unproven claims astir Jason Arday’s danasiwa and curriculum vitae acold beyond the anti-black title subject web that launched them.

The Book that Wasn’t Published

A ‘double standard’ was applied to scrutiny of Jason Arday’s work.

One illustration of this was connected the taxable of Arday’s supposedly “phantom” book, Being Young, Black and Male.

It was initially described arsenic a forthcoming Palgrave Macmillan title. But later academic and public biographies listed Arday simply arsenic its “author”, alongside already published books.

Palgrave Macmillan nevertheless confirmed that it had accepted the proposal, Durham University recorded it arsenic a “manuscript successful preparation”, and it was still being described successful 2022 arsenic an upcoming book.

Compare this to James Orr, Associate Professor of Philosophy of Religion astatine the Faculty of Divinity astatine Cambridge University.

For astatine slightest six years, from 2019-20 done 2023 and 2025, nationalist biographies many times listed Orr’s apparently unpublished Being and Eternity: Phenomenology and Thomism successful Edith Stein among his existing “publications and argumentation papers” – without describing it arsenic unfinished aliases forthcoming.

In 2024, a podcast went further, introducing Orr arsenic a “published author” who had “written” Being and Eternity (Orr did not conflict the characterisation).

Yet, Orr’s Cambridge University biography page still lists the unpublished title arsenic “forthcoming, 2022”.

These repeated presentations of an apparently unpublished book arsenic an established portion of Orr’s publication grounds has not attracted thing approaching the scrutiny directed astatine Jason Arday.

Neither lawsuit proves dishonesty. Stalled books and recycled biographies are mundane features of world publishing. But Arday’s discrepancy became nationalist ‘evidence’ of fraud.

Charity Runs and ‘Seven Up’

The portrayal of Jason Arday arsenic a dishonest fantasist extended to his kindness running.

His declare to person completed 30 marathons successful 35 days – bullied crossed dozens of articles (even aft his death, for instance, successful The Times by Sarah Ditum) – is supported by contemporaneous records.

A January 2010 JustGiving page announced the dates and way earlier it began. The Times Higher Educational Supplement reported connected the situation while it was underway. The Richmond and Twickenham Times reported its completion connected 25 August.

Arday’s declare to person raised aliases helped raise £5 cardinal for kindness was besides wide bullied by newspapers. When asked by the Guardian if his wide fig of kindness fundraising of £5 cardinal was accurate, Arday said that the money had been raised done “many fundraising collectives complete a two-decade period”, and that the different group who had taken portion had signed NDAs to extremity them from being identified.

A Byline Times study of the publically identifiable charities Arday was associated pinch for 2 decades recovered that they had a mixed gross income of astir £1.4 cardinal to £1.5 cardinal – putting his £5 cardinal corporate fundraising declare astatine good nether 1% of their wide income.

Arday had, for the astir part, many times described his fundraising successful corporate position – referring arsenic early arsenic 2009 to what “we” had raised, and later to being “part of” fundraising initiatives and to “our fundraising projects”.

It is besides clear that Arday did play semi-professional football, contempt speculation successful the property that he did not.

Another supposedly ‘impossible lie’ that the property accused Jason Arday of is notable erstwhile considered successful a different context.

In a discussion astatine the University of Bath successful 2022, Arday was asked to “take america backmost to the beginning” of his journey. He recounted his puerility developmental difficulties – including his test aged 3 of autism and world improvement delay, and the years he spent pinch behavioural psychologists and reside therapists.

He said: “I was portion of a programme which doesn’t really beryllium immoderate more, but was called Seven Up astatine the time. Seven Up is fundamentally erstwhile they travel you complete the long of your life, truthful they travel you astatine seven, 14, 21. I was pulled retired of the task erstwhile I was 14.”

The tv programme Seven Up was first broadcast successful 1964. The Telegraph claimed that Arday had said he “appeared” successful Michael Apted’s celebrated bid – but Arday himself had not said this.

His remark that the “programme” nary longer existed besides sits uneasily pinch that interpretation: 63 Up – presented by ITV arsenic portion of its continuing 7 Up Collection – aired successful 2019.

Arday later told The Times that he had been referring to an informal organization inaugural supporting achromatic mothers raising children pinch analyzable learning needs.

His wording was plainly confusing. But the declare connected which the communicative rested – that he had said that he appeared successful the tv bid – is not what he really said.

Reporting besides many times blurred the value of the grounds against Arday.

Accounts successful the Guardian and elsewhere from erstwhile pupils who said they were successful the twelvemonth supra Jason Arday astatine school, were presented simply arsenic grounds from “schoolmates”.

Claims that he had spoken, joked, aliases sung pinch peculiar children were treated arsenic disproving different reliable descriptions of him arsenic efficaciously non-verbal until he was 11 – contempt the truth that autistic children and those pinch selective mutism aliases terrible connection difficulties tin speak successful immoderate settings while remaining mostly silent successful others.

Once plagiarism allegations emerged, these conflicting puerility recollections were simply folded into a wider communicative that Jason Arday had fabricated his full life story.

Though unproven, the PhD plagiarism allegation circulated arsenic fact, while the conception of Arday arsenic a “fraud”, “fabulist”, and “plagiarist” hardened into expected ‘hard-fact’ findings astir the academic.

As Cambridge University announced that it would look into emerging claims astir Jason Arday, media articles astir his life were already loaded pinch the presumption of sustained and deliberate fraudulent dishonesty.

The imaginable effect of his learning difficulties and autism was ignored.

Arday had agelong reported being diagnosed aged 3 pinch autism and world developmental delay, including terrible connection difficulties, while group who knew him arsenic a kid recalled important learning needs and further support.

In his memoir, he described early memories arsenic impressions of images, sounds and sensations alternatively than discrete events – important because research has recovered that immoderate autistic group tin person greater trouble retrieving and narrating circumstantial autobiographical memories.

This perchance provided a plausible mentation for muddled recollections aliases inconsistencies that journalists should person considered, earlier treating them arsenic prima facie grounds of deliberate deception.

‘Enjoying Vengeance’

On 2 August, Steve Sailer – an advocator of “human biodiversity” whose activity claims that achromatic group are innately little intelligent and much criminal – hailed Nathan Cofnas connected X arsenic “the leader of the Jason Arday Fiasco”.

Emil Kirkegaard, who co-founded online publication Aporia, amplified the post, saying it was an illustration of why academia needed “non leftists”.

On 8 August, Aporia published an article calling Jason Arday’s lawsuit the “bitter consequence of equalitarianism”. The level had already built Cofnas’ nationalist floor plan done interviews, a podcast, a unrecorded debate, and an essay portraying guidance to Cofnas’ title subject arsenic persecution.

Five days earlier Arday was recovered dormant connected 14 August, successful an interview pinch the historiographer David Starkey – himself renowned for a grounds of derogatory comments astir achromatic group – Nathan Cofnas said that Arday was “not intelligent successful the measurement that a professor should be” and that “he’s not, like, that retarded that he can’t speak”.

Cofnas said he did not cognize whether Arday “could do addition”, called him “completely illiterate mathematically”, and later described him arsenic “a achromatic personification who seems to be, successful this case, virtually mentally disabled”.

Cofnas suggested that Arday had simply “learned to talk their talk” and utilized accusations of racism to repel criticism. His comments fused Arday’s race, autism, and world opinionated into a azygous racialised declare of innate incapacity.

Starkey praised Cofnas arsenic the man who had defeated Cambridge’s “DEI” strategy and celebrated Arday’s resignation by stating that “the logic we are some grinning is that we are enjoying vengeance. Good, honest, straightforward and Christian vengeance… we tin rejoice together”.

The historiographer racialised the onslaught, calling Arday a “professor draped successful laurels arsenic good arsenic dreadlocks” and many times describing him arsenic stupid.

In 2024, Cofnas was dismissed from his domiciled astatine Emmanuel College, Cambridge University (though the assemblage module continued to sponsor his fellowship), after publishing a blog successful which he based on that black people are little intelligent and that, successful a meritocracy, the number of achromatic professors at Harvard University “would attack zero percent”.

After supporting Nathan Cofnas done 2 assemblage inquiries and sponsoring his unsuccessful ineligible action, theSpeech Union – the organisation established successful 2020 by journalist Toby Young to run for state of look – turned its nationalist defense against Jason Arday directly. (David Starkey is aSpeech Union advisor).

On 10 August, theSpeech Union attacked Arday complete complaints he had made to the Metropolitan Police astir the risks to his intelligence wellness pursuing journalistic inquiries astir claims of plagiarism.

Young wrote to the Met Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, asking for an explanation. Meanwhile, Jack Grove, an editor astatine the Times Educational Supplement (known arsenic TES), who had launched the original plagiarism dossier astir Arday’s PhD, said that the academic’s complaints to the constabulary were an illegitimate battle connected free reside and important nationalist liking journalism.

On 12 August, James Orr – a founding personnel of theSpeech Union’s advisory assembly – posted connected X: “What terrifies maine is if it turns retired Jason Arday’s DEI qualifications were fake, his DEI chair was fake, his DEI subject was fake, and his module + assemblage were DEI bootcamps. Imagine the backlash against hardworking DEI hires?”

At 5.51am connected 14 August, earlier the news was reported that Arday had been recovered dead, the online mag Quillette – whose editor Claire Lehmann is besides aSpeech Union advisor – published an essay calling Jason Arday a “fantasist, fabulist, fraud”.

A 2nd article published connected the aforesaid time defended investigation into group differences successful intelligence and positioned Nathan Cofnas arsenic its latest persecuted scholar.

Over six days, this web generated the aforesaid group framework crossed title subject media, a free-speech lobbying outfit, a governmental magazine, and Reform’s Head of Policy James Orr.

The Pioneer Fund Rebrands

The run against Jason Arday did not travel retired of nowhere.

The Cambridge web that Byline Times first exposed successful 2021 began forming successful 2016 and 2017, erstwhile Thiel Capital main of staff, Charles Vaughan, attended meetings astatine the university. He encouraged blimpish academics to build ties, enlistee sympathetic people, and build media and governmental influence.

The clearest mass-market distillation of the Pioneer Fund’s worldview was Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein’s 1994 book The Bell Curve, which based on that achromatic group were little intelligent than achromatic group partially for familial reasons.

The Pioneer Fund, established successful New York successful 1937, harboured nonstop ties pinch Nazi eugenicists. Thirteen scholars whose activity it relied connected were Pioneer Fund grantees, while the Fund financed astir each investigation cited for its cardinal title and IQ claims.

James Orr hosted Charles Murray astatine Cambridge University successful 2021.

In 2022, the Pioneer Fund relaunched nether its caller Aporia brand, incorporating the Fund’s aged personnel, assets, and publications. Aporia‘s laminitis Matthew Frost said that the mag wanted to “move the Overton Window” – the scope of politically acceptable ideas – and summation “legitimacy via association”.

Peter Thiel – who, arsenic Byline Times has revealed, made a concealed five-figure aid to Cambridge University done James Orr astatine the clip of Orr’s hiring – besides harboured his ain nonstop ties to the founders of Aporia.

Thiel sought introductions to Nathan Cofnas and Aporia editor Noah Carl earlier giving them what Aporia’s co-founder Emil Kirkegaard called the “Thiel treatment”.

A July 2024 photograph posted by Richard Hanania – different title subject sympathiser whose book, The Origins of Woke, was endorsed by Thiel – underscores Cofnas’ proximity to the wider Thiel-linked US right: it shows Cofnas arm-in-arm pinch Hanania and Curtis Yarvin.

Yarvin, whose package institution was funded by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, claims that achromatic group are genetically much intelligent than achromatic people, whom he repeatedly calls “negroes” and casts arsenic amended disconnected nether slavery.

As Byline Times first reported earlier this year, theSpeech Union is straight connected to Aporia. Companies House records database theSpeech Union’s founding wide secretary, Toby Young, and Aporia elder editor Noah Carl, arsenic co-directors of Skeptics Ltd.

Alongside James Orr, David Starkey, and Claire Lehmann, different Aporia contributor Eric Kaufmann sits connected its advisory council. Cofnas himself was a recurring contributor and impermanent astatine Aporia, while Lehmann’s Quillette lists six articles nether his byline.

In 2021, Byline Times reported an allegation successful Max Chafkin’s curriculum vitae that Peter Thiel had besides been “secretly funding” Quillette astir 2016. Lehmann denied the claim.

The Sanctuary

It was James Orr who first opened Aporia’s way into mainstream national-conservative politics.

The mag thanked him for “organising and inviting us” to the 2023 NatCon summit, documenting his nonstop domiciled successful giving the title subject level entree to elder politicians and organisers.

The acme was attended by Cabinet ministers including Suella Braverman (now a Reform MP) and Michael Gove (now Editor of the Spectator), arsenic good arsenic figures specified arsenic David Starkey.

But James Orr’s domiciled successful bridging title subject via Cambridge University into organised authorities forms portion of a wider attack that has alarmed students and academics crossed the world-renowned institution.

A six-month Byline Times investigation – based connected interviews pinch astir 20 existent and erstwhile Cambridge students and academics – recovered that Orr has been utilizing the assemblage arsenic a recruitment crushed for a hard-right governmental task linked to his domiciled arsenic Reform’s argumentation chief.

The investigation revealed activities including the lodging of postgraduate students astatine his ain location wherever they mingle pinch title subject advocates and hard-right governmental figures.

Senior academics told this publication that the statement raised concerns complete safeguarding, student welfare, and indoctrination. Several complaints astir James Orr person reached Cambridge’s elder leadership, but nary action has been taken.

At a unrecorded Aporia arena successful July 2024, Nathan Cofnas appeared alongside Eric Kaufmann, aSpeech Union advisory assembly member, and Aporia co-founder Matthew Frost. Kaufmann said astatine the arena astir “the problems with… achromatic culture”.

The erstwhile year, Frost had attended a notorious neo-Nazi gathering successful Estonia known arsenic the “Scandza Forum”, hosted by Scandinavian neo-Nazi Fróði Midjord and renamed “Guide to Kulchur” aft a book by Nazi sympathiser and Holocaust protagonist Ezra Pound.

The Aporia arena hosted by Frost successful 2024 was held astatine The Sanctuary, a discreet governmental hub overlooking Westminster Abbey, wherever awesome Reform philanthropist Ben Delo costs office, events, and podcasting space. Aporia besides has its ain established agency and events abstraction there.

The Sanctuary gave Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain statement a free abstraction to motorboat what it called the astir broad deportation argumentation produced successful the UK, proposing to region millions of migrants from the country.

The anti-extremism organisation Hope Not Hate has revealed that Delo has besides helped money theSpeech Union.

The Cambridge Scrutonian Society, founded by 2 of James Orr’s students pinch his behind-the-scenes support, occupies a abstracted Sanctuary agency underwritten by Delo.

Unanswered Questions

Cambridge University has questions to answer.

As Byline Times documented past month, it took nary action aft repeated soul safeguarding complaints astir James Orr and his engagement pinch right-wing extremist groups.

Asked many times to remark connected the extended findings of this publication’s six-month investigation, Cambridge University’s property agency simply stated: “Byline Times has sent the assemblage a slew of unsubstantiated allegations, wilful mischaracterisations, and falsehoods, which we powerfully reject. The measurement of misleading claims and conjecture intends we are incapable to prosecute pinch the attack arsenic a morganatic media enquiry.”

The assemblage had besides retained Nathan Cofnas’ fellowship aft Emmanuel College severed ties pinch him successful 2024 complete his debunked anti-black claims astir intelligence and world representation.

These decisions sharpen the questions for Cambridge.

Who successful its module put Nathan Cofnas guardant arsenic a investigation associate?

What safeguards were put successful spot for Jason Arday arsenic the news sum and reputational attacks connected his life communicative intensified?

Why was LJMU’s settled uncovering connected the plagiarism allegations against Arday quickly displaced by nationalist presumption successful the eyes of the institution?

Nathan Cofnas denied coordinating pinch Aporia, James Orr, David Starkey, theSpeech Union, aliases Quillette successful his run against Jason Arday.

Claire Lehmann, Editor of Quillette, told Byline Times: “Quillette had nary interaction pinch Nathan Cofnas, Aporia, theSpeech Union, aliases James Orr astir Jason Arday earlier publishing either article. Neither portion was solicited, coordinated, aliases discussed pinch immoderate of those parties.”

She added that, aft Jason Arday’s death, she “sent Nathan Cofnas a backstage connection asking whether he was alright”.

James Orr told this publication that he had not “amplified”, taken portion in, aliases condoned “any alleged run against Jason Arday”.

“I person not communicated pinch Nathan Cofnas, pinch anyone astatine Aporia, aliases theSpeech Union, aliases so pinch anyone other from immoderate different organisation astir my erstwhile workfellow either earlier aliases aft my societal media station of 12 August,” he added.

TheSpeech Union did not respond to a petition for comment.