Michael W. Berns, PhD, has been Inducted into the Prestigious Marquis Who’s Who Biographical Registry

Dr. Berns received a Gold Medal from the International Society of Optics and Photonic in 2022

Michael W. Berns, PhD, has been inducted into Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.

After more than four decades of experience in the classroom and research lab, Dr. Berns retired as a distinguished endowed chair professor at the University of California (UCI) Irvine. Originally joining the faculty in 1972, he served as an associate professor and department chair in the department of developmental cell biology and was subsequently named as the Arnold and Mabel Beckman professor in 1988. During his tenure, Dr. Berns also founded, chaired and served as chief executive officer of The Beckman Laser Institute, a nonprofit institution devoted to biomedical research on cancer and nervous system diseases. Among other achievements on campus, he served as the founding director of the UCI Center for Biomedical Engineering and founded the UCI Photonics Incubator.

Prior to joining UCI, Dr. Berns was an assistant professor of zoology from 1970 to 1972 at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and in 1972 he joined the faculty as associate professor in the department of developmental and cell biology at the University of California, Irvine. He also served as an adjunct professor in the department of bioengineering at UC San Diego from 2000 to 2021. Additionally, Dr. Berns lectured extensively in his area of expertise in various European countries, the Middle East, Russia, Japan and China.

From 1973 to 2022, Dr. Berns functioned as the principal investigator for laser microbeam studies on chromosomes in mitosis and other cellular organelles. He also served on the ad hoc committee for lasers in biomedical research for the National Academy of Sciences in 1977 and as the chairperson for the Gordon Conference on Lasers in Medicine and Biology in 1978.

Dr. Berns’ research interests have included cellular and embryonic development, the mitosis of cells, the nucleoli and mitochondria of tissue culture cells, as well as laser instrumentation for biomedical research, and laser microbeam studies on chromosomes. The methods that he has developed to study cells have since become widely adopted by many scientists throughout the world. Dr. Berns notably holds 12 U.S. patents in his field.

Dr. Berns has disseminated his findings by contributing over 500 scholarly articles in leading peer-reviewed journals. He has also authored six technical books. Much of his written work has been published in over a dozen different languages. Aside from his written contributions in the field, Dr. Berns published his first novel in 2021. Titled “The Tinderbox Plot,” the book’s plot centers on a team of ex-KGB agents that smuggle a nuclear device into the U.S.

A leader in his community, Dr. Berns served as a member of his local planning commission for five years. He also established three scholarships at he and his wife’s alma mater, Cornell University, for undergraduate research. In addition, he established a scholarship at the University California Irvine, also for undergraduate research and to honor his late wife Roberta M. Berns who also taught at UCI and authored a bestselling text book Child, School, Family and Community (Cengage 10th edition).

Dr. Berns graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in 1964, a Master of Science in 1966 and a Doctor of Philosophy in biology in 1968. He subsequently held a postdoctoral position at the Pasadena Foundation for Medical Research in Pasadena, California, from 1968 to 1970.

To remain aware of developments in his field, Dr. Berns has been a member of the American Society of Cell Biology, the American Society of Photobiology, the Tissue Culture Association, the Society for Developmental Biology. and the American Society of Lasers in Medicine and Surgery of which he was president in the 1990’s. He is also an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Institute for Biomedical Engineering, and the International Society of Optics and Photonics from which he received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Furthermore, Dr. Berns is a foreign member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (UK).

Dr. Berns received several grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the US Office of Naval Research, the US Air Force office of Research and other organizations for his research between 1970 and 2022. He also received an International Cancer Research Technology Transfer Fellowship from the International Union Against Cancer between 1977 and 1980.

In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Berns was honored with a Gold Medal from the International Society of Optics and Photonics in 2022. He previously received the William B. Mark Award from the American Society for Lasers in Medicine and Surgery in 1990. Dr. Berns’ achievements have also been featured in National Geographic and Scientific American magazines on several occasions.

About Marquis Who’s Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who’s Who titles, including Who’s Who in America®, Who’s Who in the World®, Who’s Who in American Law®, Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who’s Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.

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