Mary Lou Jepsen

Dr. Mary Lou Jepsen is a pioneering American inventor, entrepreneur, and optical physicist, renowned for her groundbreaking work in medical imaging, display technologies, and brain-computer interfaces. Born in 1965, she earned degrees in Studio Art and Electrical Engineering from Brown University, followed by a Master of Science in Holography from the MIT Media Lab, and a Ph.D. in Optical Sciences from Brown University .Women, Art & Technology+2ETHW+2+2

Jepsen's career spans significant roles at major tech companies. She co-founded One Laptop per Child (OLPC), serving as its first Chief Technology Officer, and later founded Pixel Qi, focusing on energy-efficient display technologies. At Google X, she led initiatives in virtual reality and display innovation, and at Facebook/Oculus, she advanced consumer electronics and optical systems. In 2016, she founded Openwater, a company developing wearable devices for high-resolution brain imaging and therapeutic applications using infrared light and ultrasound .Getty Images+5+5LDV Capital+5TEDxSanFrancisco+2cdss.berkeley.edu+2+2

Jepsen's work has garnered numerous accolades, including being named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2008 and receiving the Edwin H. Land Medal from the Optical Society in 2011 . Her innovative approach to technology emphasizes accessibility and affordability, aiming to democratize advanced medical diagnostics.+1+1cdss.berkeley.edu

Among her notable quotes, Jepsen has said:

"I never stopped dreaming of how to create a wearable to communicate with our thoughts, how to do this at consumer electronics pricing." Business Insider+3+3+3

"If you can make a lot more of something, you can make it much more inexpensive." +1+1

"The future of reading is screens. Books are toast." +1+1

These reflections underscore her commitment to innovation, affordability, and advancing human-computer interaction.