Bernt did his undergraduate studies at the University of Auckland and a PhD at the Australian National University. He did his first synchrotron experiment in 2002, and has been actively involved in a range of synchrotron research and technique development since. He has been a beamline scientist since 2007, and spent his time at the Australian Synchrotron XAS beamline since 2009. Areas of scientific interest include thin films, glassy alloys, and nanoparticles.