Education
Bertschinger received his bachelor"s degree in physics from Caltech in 1979, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in astrophysical sciencies from Princeton University in 1984.
Bertschinger received his bachelor"s degree in physics from Caltech in 1979, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree in astrophysical sciencies from Princeton University in 1984.
He held postdoctoral positions at the University of Virginia and University of California Berkeley, then went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology as an assistant professor of physics in 1986 becoming a full professor in 1996. He served as head of the physics department from 2007-2013 and currently serves as the Institute Community and Equity Officer. He has served on various committees promoting women and minorities in astronomy and physics.
He was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society.
Bertschinger is known for his work on large-scale simulations of galaxy formation (North-body simulation), the study of galaxy velocity fields (Peculiar velocity), and various problems in relativistic astrophysics. He has made substantial contributions to cosmological perturbation theory and structure formation in the universe.