Benoît Gomis Recognized with University of Toronto Superior Teaching Award
The Munk School is pleased to announce that Benoît Gomis has been named a recipient of the Faculty of Arts & Science Superior Teaching Award – Sessional Lecturer for the 2025–26 academic year. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to undergraduate education, including excellence in classroom instruction, innovative teaching practices, and deep student engagement.
Gomis has taught at the Munk School since 2019, where he is widely known for his challenging, student‑centered approach to teaching and experiential learning. His exceptional teaching draws on his diverse work experience with journalists, think tanks, government, and IGO’s to immerse students in current events and data. Students are exposed to real world challenges, to excellent mentors, and benefit from experience that is valuable to their future careers.
This is evident in the undergraduate Peace Conflict and Justice program’s service learning course, PCJ362, where Benoît’s consulting work enables him to foster connections between his students and his clients. He exposes undergraduate students to industry experts. His focus on working toward practical solutions to hard problems provides students with a truly unique opportunity to put theory into practice.
Benoît exemplifies exceptional pedagogical skill and professional judgement across the Munk School. In addition to teaching PCJ362, he has taught extensively in the Master of Global Affairs program, the MA in European and Eurasian Studies, and the European Affairs undergraduate program. Benoît’s courses routinely lean into the most contentious and challenging current problems. For example, Gomis has designed and delivered courses such as Illicit Trade in Drugs, Researching Terrorism, and The Tobacco Industry Playbook, in addition to the security capstone.
Faculty colleagues underscore the impact of his work. Professor Michael Donnelly, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Munk School, describes Gomis as “exactly the kind of instructor we look for in our courses — combining rigorous theory and evidence with the practical experience our professional students need.” Student evaluations echo this sentiment, praising his ability to foster open, engaging, and insightful classroom discussions.
Professor Shiri Breznitz, Roz & Ralph Halbert Professor of Innovation at the Munk School, highlights Gomis’ lasting influence on students: “Students consistently describe Professor Gomis as approachable, supportive, and deeply invested in their success. Many former students continue to seek his advice and mentorship well after completing his courses.” Janice Stein, the Founding Director of the Munk School, echoed that praise. “Professor Gomis brings the world to his classroom and his classroom to the world. We are so fortunate to have him as a colleague.”
Former student Akanksha Patil said his classes were well structured and built strong foundational knowledge before moving into deeper discussion. “He used real examples from policy and industry,” she says, “which made the material easier to grasp and more meaningful.”
The Superior Teaching Award recognizes what students and colleagues at the Munk School have long known: Benoît Gomis is an exceptional educator whose teaching leaves a lasting impact.
