In 1991, Bernd Brinkmann was elected as a member of the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina (Halle) and was president of the German Society of Forensic Medicine (1995-2001), the International Academy of Legal Medicine (1994-2000) and the International Society of Forensic Genetics (1990-1994). Until the end of 2010, Bernd Brinkmann was the chairman of the Stain Commission, which directs the GEDNAP (German DNA Profiling Group) inter-laboratory tests for quality assurance in the fields of forensics and forensic molecular-genetics. He also played a significant part in the establishment of national and international standards in post-mortem examinations and dissection, and remains active in their development.
The focus of his research was on the analysis of blood traces, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), the histomorphology of drowning, and proof of suffocation. Among other things, Bernd Brinkmann is a member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Abstammungsbegutachtung (federal association of parentage appraisers).