Bert Ellis is the twin to Jacquelien Van Kessel, although no one would know to look at him.

Bert keeps his hair shaved over his right ear, and the rest tumbles in a bristly waterfall over the left side of his head. Bert wears net (see-through) long-sleeved black shirts. His shirts show off his black tattoos underneath. The shifting lines of the net material reveal the tats as mere shadows on his chocolate skin.

Bert has a perennial facial shadow, even after he shaves.

Bert is a man who knows how to get things done, although he has been known to posture for effect. Sometimes people see his posturing as a mask for hiding his lack of skills, but Bert knows what he can do and does it well.

Bert's black mark on his record is a lack of consideration in dealing with marginalized groups, especially concerning orientation. Bert has been known to say, "If God meant us to be that way, he'd have created us that way." He refuses to listen to any argument that says maybe that's exactly what happened.

Bert avoids relationships, citing his responsibility to the Project as his one and only duty.

Bert has been enhanced with seahorse DNA (along with Jacquelien Van Kessel) in the hopes that fathers of the future might one day bear young for the human race.

We first meet Bert in Book 5 of The Human-Hybrid Project, The Glass Siege.