Christopher Bernido is the president of the CVIF. He obtained his PhD in Physics in 1982 and Master of Science in Physics in 1979 from the State University of New York at Albany, USA. He was conferred the degrees Doctor of Humanities (honoris causa) by the Holy Angel University (2012) and Doctor of Pedagogy (honoris causa) by Ateneo de Naga University (2014).

Bernido was a research fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany from 1987 to 1989. From 1996 to 2001, he was also a senior associate member of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy.  

Bernido taught for 17 years at UP Diliman where he got the Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Researcher and Teacher in 1995. He was the director of the National Institute of Physics in UP from 1983 to 1986, and served as president of the Samahang Pisika ng Pilipinas (Physical Society of the Philippines) from 1984 to 1987. He received in 1987 the Achievement Award in Physics from the National Research Council of the Philippines. He was elected member of the NAST Phil in 2007.

Together with his wife Maria Victoria, they were given the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2010 for improving basic education in the Philippines through their CVIF DLP.