The conference will be based around the following five themes, with two sessions devoted to each. Participants are encouraged to contribute to more than one session. Contributions can take the form of anything from a short scientific talk (with or without slides) to simply sharing a few reminiscences.  They can describe Bernard’s past contributions but may also look ahead to the future. 

• Relativistic Astrophysics

Coordinator: Ian Jones, d.i.jones AT soton.ac.uk

The early part of Bernard’s wordline ran through the realm of relativistic astrophysics.  His work was highly mathematical in nature, looking at formulations of relativistic hydrodynamics, and the stability of rotating stars.  Bernard’s collaboration with John Friedman led to the discovery of the celebrated Chandrasekhar-Friedman-Schutz (CFS) instability.  The work of visiting Masters student Kostas Kokkotas led to the discovery of the w-modes.  Bernard was the first to realise that compact binary coalescences were standard candles, bringing cosmology into the domain of gravitational wave astronomy.   

• Numerical Relativity 

Coordinator: Edward Seidel, Edward.Seidel AT uwyo.edu

During his time at Cardiff, Bernard set up a numerical relativity group, a rarity in Europe at that time.  This was back in the days when people were struggling to find a stable formulation of the Einstein Equations.  He organised several dedicated meetings at Gregynog, inviting key players from all over the world to discuss this thorny issue.  Bernard’s students looked at foundational problems, including the use of moving grids and different gauge choices.  Several followed him on to the AEI in Potsdam, where Bernard set up a numerical relativity group that quickly expanded to become one of the largest in the world, and played a key role in the blossoming of numerical relativity in the early 2000’s.

• Gravitational Wave Data Analysis  

Coordinator: Maria Alessandra Papa, Maria.Alessandra.Papa AT aei.mpg.de

Bernard was one of the first relativists to anticipate the crucial role that data analysis would play in gravitational wave astronomy.  In Cardiff he set up a signal analysis group which went on to post significant milestones in the journey towards the first detection.  These include the first ever joint analysis between two (prototype) interferometers, and a critical analysis of the claim of a gravitational wave signal coincident with SN 1987A.  The meeting he organised in Dyffryn House in 1987 was seminal in convening the gravitational wave community of the importance of signal analysis. He was also a pioneer in the development of  analysis techniques for continuous wave sources, his collaboration with Pitor Jaranowski and Andrzej Królak resulting in the celebrated “JKS” paper.  This work continued after his move to the AEI, with the new signal analysis group playing a prominent role in the then newly established LIGO Scientific Collaboration.

• Mentoring and Teaching

Coordinator: Kostas Kokkotas, kostas.kokkotas AT uni-tuebingen.de

Bernard has had a profound influence on those whose worldlines have intersected with his own. Throughout his career he has mentored many PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, a remarkable number of whom have gone on to distinguished academic careers and become leaders. His impact extends well beyond direct mentorship through his teaching and writing. He is the author of two now-classic university textbooks, Geometrical Methods in Mathematical Physics (1980) and A First Course in General Relativity (1985), the latter growing out of his teaching at Cardiff and now in its third edition. His Gravity From The Ground Up (2003) makes the concepts of general relativity accessible using only high-school level mathematics and reflects his long-standing commitment to education and public outreach.

• Leadership and Community Building

Coordinator: Nils Andersson, N.A.Andersson AT southampton.ac.uk

Bernard established the Cardiff Gravity Group in 1974, and its recent 50-year anniversary event attracted participants from around the world.  He played key roles in advocating for the GEO 600 project, which became a key testing ground for interferometer technology, and with GEO forming the umbrella organisation for the UK and Germany gravitational-wave groups within the LIGO Scientific Collaboration.  He was also a major proponent of the LISA mission, a project now funded and scheduled for launch in 2035.  This leadership role was cemented by his move in 1995 to become the Director of the newly-created Albert Einstein Institute.  His advocacy for open-access publishing led him to set up the Living Reviews project, with Living Review in Relativity becoming the highest-impact open access journal in the world.