Passionate about math and numbers, Quevedo quickly points out he has retired twice, most recently from the University of Cambridge in England. However, the opportunity to do groundbreaking research and help shape the next generation of great scientific minds drew him to NYU Abu Dhabi. In a country that embraces bold, out-of-the-box thinking, he found the perfect environment to continue his discovery.

“This part of the world is very promising,” Quevedo said. “The existence of this country is remarkable. In just 50 years, it has achieved something extraordinary. I compare it with Italy during the Renaissance, when a society invested in science, art, and music, driving innovation and progress. Similarly, the Emirates fosters an environment where knowledge and creativity can thrive, making meaningful contributions to the world”.

“We could establish an institute here to attract top scientists from around the world while also providing opportunities for young researchers from developing countries; this could be a way to help them,” Quevedo added.

Quevedo was once one of those aspiring scientists himself. Growing up in Guatemala, he encountered limited opportunities to study physics at the university level. Initially, he pursued engineering, but his path took a transformative turn when he transferred to another university and later had the chance to study under Nobel laureate Steven Weinberg at the University of Texas at Austin. This experience ultimately changed the course of his life.

But it was Robert Little, a renowned leader in physics education and champion of expanding access to this discipline in Central and South America, who first met Quevedo in Guatemala. Little recognized his potential and offered him a chance to follow his passion and develop as a physicist.

“I have always been deeply grateful to him,” Quevedo said, “and that's one of the reasons I want to pay it forward, offering others the same opportunity  I was given.”

For a decade, Quevedo did just that. As the director of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, he worked to expand access to science education in developing countries.

Inspiring young minds and advancing physics research are Quevedo’s greatest passions. When Quevedo talks about physics’ biggest unanswered questions and the research needed to solve them, answers that may or may not come in his lifetime, he speaks with undiminished enthusiasm as if decades of searching have only deepened his excitement. 

“The most important challenge in physics is understanding gravity at the microscopic level, at the subatomic level,” Quevedo said. “We simply do not have a complete description of it. Everyone agrees this is one of the biggest hurdles we face. Without a clear understanding of quantum gravity, we cannot fully grasp  the origins of the universe.”

According to Quevedo, the pursuit of this knowledge is not driven by its potential future impact on humanity. Instead, he believes the actual value lies in the search itself. As history has shown, the very act of brilliant minds asking these fundamental questions is already a gift to science and society.