Born in Singapore in 1943, TAN Tiong Gie Bernard was educated at the Anglo-Chinese School, Singapore, the University of Singapore (Bachelor of Science with Honours in Physics, 1965) and Oxford University (Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Science, 1968).  He is a Chartered Engineer and Member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (U.K.), Fellow of the Institute of Physics (U.K.), Fellow of the Institute of Physics, Singapore, and Fellow of Trinity College of Music, London.

He joined the then University of Singapore (now NUS, the National University of Singapore) in 1968 as a Lecturer in Physics and served as Dean of Science of NUS from 1985 to 1997 and Dean of Students from 1997 to 2002.  He is currently a Professor of Physics at NUS, where he is also Director of the Centre for Maritime Studies and Chairman of the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP) and the Singapore Synchrotron Light Source (SSLS).

He is Chairman of Keppel Credit Union and Cadi Scientific Pte Ltd and sits on the boards of Keppel Telecommunications and Transportation Ltd, the Singapore Symphonia Company Ltd and NUS Technology Holdings Ltd.  He is also Chairman of the National Internet Advisory Committee, the National Advisory Committee for Laboratory Animal Research, the Arts Consultative Panel of the Media Development Authority and the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Science and Technology of the National Environment Agency.  He is also Chairman of the Audio Engineering Society, Singapore Section.

His current research interests are in microwave solid-state properties and devices, digital musical analysis and synthesis, and directional perception of multiple sound sources.  He has published 90 papers in international peer-reviewed journals.

He has been awarded the Public Administration Medal (Silver), the Public Service Medal, the Public Service Star, the Public Service Star (Bar) and the Institute of Physics Singapore President's Medal.