Susan “Susie” Armstrong, a Cal Poly computer science graduate and senior vice president at Qualcomm, will return to campus May 1 to headline the Noyce School of Applied Computing’s Distinguished Speaker Series. This forum brings leaders in technology and innovation to campus to share insights with students and the broader Cal Poly community.
Her talk will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. in Room 104 of the Bonderson Engineering Projects Center (Building 197) with a snack reception for students to follow.
Armstrong began her career at Xerox, contributing to early technologies that helped lay the foundation for the personal computer. She later helped shape the future of wireless communication at Qualcomm by leading the development of the first technology that allowed cellphones to access the internet — a pivotal breakthrough that marked a major milestone in digital connectivity.
Over her tenure at Qualcomm, Armstrong has held various leadership positions. She led the development and commercialization of the software powering Qualcomm’s chipsets. She later headed the global Customer Engineering team, collaborating with base station manufacturers, carriers and device makers worldwide to bring new technologies to market. In 2015, she joined Qualcomm’s Government Affairs group, where she applies her engineering and product expertise to public policy work, including cybersecurity, intellectual property and STEM education.
A champion for education and equity in tech, Armstrong served on the Cal Poly College of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council and remains a strong supporter of student opportunity and experiential learning. In 2020, Armstrong was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the California State University and Cal Poly in recognition of her leadership in technology, public policy and advocacy for broadening participation in science and engineering fields.
“Susie’s work has touched nearly every corner of modern life, from how we communicate to how we access information,” said Chris Lupo, founding director of the Noyce School. “She embodies the kind of impact we hope to inspire in our students — combining curiosity, technical excellence and a commitment to creating technologies that make a difference.”
The Noyce School of Applied Computing, established in 2022 through a transformative gift from the Robert N. Noyce Trust, unites the departments of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Software Engineering, and Computer Engineering. The Statistics Department also participates as an affiliate, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration across computing and data science. The school emphasizes project-based learning, industry engagement and collaborative approaches to solving real-world problems.
Hosted by the Noyce School and supported by the Lycke Trust, the Distinguished Speaker Series highlights influential voices working at the forefront of applied computing. Speakers explore emerging technologies and the pressing challenges shaping the future of the field.
