McGill University Athletics

Dr. Benoit J. Gentil was appointed interim senior director of athletics and recreation at McGill University effective April 11, 2026. An associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Gentil also serves as director of the Sylvan Adams Sports Science Institute (SASSI) and the Laboratory of Genetics and Epigenetics of Motor Development and Performance.

A nationally and internationally recognized scholar, Gentil’s research focuses on motor development, human performance and neuromuscular disease. Born and educated in France, he earned a bachelor’s degree in animal physiology and a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology from Université Joseph Fourier in Grenoble, as well as a master’s degree in human nutrition from Université Paris Cité. He subsequently completed postdoctoral training in neuroscience, neurology, neurosurgery and biochemistry at McGill University and its affiliated research institutes.

Gentil has spent more than two decades at McGill as a researcher, educator and academic leader. As director of SASSI, he has developed partnerships with leading institutions through the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance and helped advance initiatives supporting research on female athletic performance and leadership development. He also serves on the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee of Muscular Dystrophy Canada. As interim senior director, he oversees McGill’s varsity athletics, recreation programs and sport services.