Matthew Bershady

Matthew Bershady is a Professor in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, currently serving as a temporary Rotator at the National Science Foundation in Alexandria, VA. His research focuses on galaxy structure & evolution and the development of advanced spectroscopic instrumentation for astronomical observations.

Bershady is the Principal Investigator for HexPak and GradPak, two variable-pitch integral field units (IFUs) that enhance the WIYN Bench Spectrograph. These instruments enable studies of galactic dynamics with tailored spatial and spectral resolutions. HexPak uses a hexagonal fiber array to minimize beam-smearing in axisymmetric galaxies, while GradPak employs a rectangular array with gradient-sized fibers for vertical structure analysis in inclined spirals.

His technical publications, including Wood et al. (2012), Einigenbrot et al. (2012), and Hopper et al. (2015), detail these systems' design and performance. Ongoing work includes a forthcoming GradPak paper and contributions to data reduction methodologies like sky subtraction and dispersion correction.

Bershady has established shared-use policies for HexPak/GradPak, requiring collaboration with instrument teams and adherence to documentation. His NSF grants (ATI-0804576, AST-100941) and institutional support have driven these innovations.