PHYSICIST · BUILDER · COMMUNICATOR
Deborah Berebichez.
The Origin
I grew up in Mexico City in a close-knit community — a mother who married at 19 and warned me that studying math would scare off boys. There were no women physicists in my world. I studied philosophy instead.
The Pivot
But I couldn't stop thinking about physics. At Brandeis, I told a friend from Darjeeling I didn't want to die without trying. He called his adviser that afternoon. I cancelled a humanities program at Cornell, crammed the entire physics major into two years starting from rusty algebra, and graduated summa cum laude with dual degrees in physics and philosophy — including an honors thesis on the ethics of Emmanuel Levinas, a subject that turned out to be unexpectedly useful twenty years later when "AI governance" became everyone's problem.
The Breakthrough
That path led to Stanford, where I became the first Mexican woman to earn a PhD in physics. I worked with two Nobel Laureates: Robert Laughlin on how waves scatter through complex systems, and Steven Chu, in whose lab we used optical tweezers to manipulate single strands of DNA. My dissertation research on time-reversal and spatial focusing of acoustic waves established my expertise in wave propagation, optimization, and computational modeling.
The Translation
After Stanford, I completed postdoctoral research at NYU’s Courant Institute and Columbia University, designing quantum computing components and photonic crystals. I then spent over a decade translating that scientific rigor into enterprise products — as a quantitative analyst at Morgan Stanley, as Chief Data Scientist at Metis (which I helped build from zero into a leader in data science training for individuals and enterprises), and as Lead Scientist in Microelectronics and Quantum Computing at VTT, where I helped commercialize Finland’s first quantum computer.
The Builder
I founded Solve For You, LLC and led 25 AI products from concept to market. Now as Partner and AI Products Leader at EY, I architected the firm’s framework for enterprise-scale agentic AI — including an eight-agent anti-money-laundering platform that is foundational to EY’s financial crime strategy.
The Amplifier
For 11 years, I co-hosted Discovery Channel’s Outrageous Acts of Science, explaining the physics behind viral phenomena to millions of viewers. I’ve keynoted TED, Grace Hopper (18,000 attendees), CERN, YPO, Wired, and DLD. The AAAS IF/THEN initiative commissioned a life-size 3D-printed statue in my likeness — displayed at the Smithsonian Institution and now at the MIT Museum. Wired UK named me one of the Most Inspiring Women of the Decade.
The Mission
The gap between what scientists build and what the world adopts is where most technology quietly dies. I close that gap. That’s the job. It’s always been the job.
Education
PhD Physics Stanford · MSc Physics Stanford · MSc Physics UNAM · BA Physics & Philosophy Brandeis (summa cum laude) · Postdoc NYU Courant & Columbia
Selected Writings
Architecting an Agentic Workforce at the EY Organization
The governance framework Fortune 500 firms are adopting for agentic AI.
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Bringing HPC and Quantum Computing Together
The roadmap for integrating quantum computing into enterprise infrastructure.
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Time Reversal and Spatial Focusing of Signals in Enclosures
The physics foundation behind modern AI signal processing and optimization.
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