USC Marshall School of Business

Alexis Livanos is the chief technology officer and corporate vice president for Northrop Grumman. In this transformational role, he is responsible for leading the company’s development and insertion of cutting-edge technologies to address the evolving requirements of customers. He also serves on the company’s corporate policy council.

Dr. Alexis C. Livanos is an independent consultant. Most recently, Livanos served as the chief technology officer and corporate vice president for Northrop Grumman. In this transformational role, he was responsible for leading the company’s development and insertion of cutting-edge technologies to address the evolving requirements of customers. He also served on the company’s corporate policy council.

Livanos is also a research professor at the Ming Hsieh Department of Electrical Engineering at University of Southern California (USC) Viterbi School of Engineering. Prior to this, Livanos was corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Space Technology, responsible for the strategic direction and operations of the sector, which developed a broad range of systems at the leading edge of space, defense and electronics technology. Prior to that, Livanos served as vice president and general manager of the Systems Development and Technology and Space Sensors Division in the Electronic Systems sector.

Before joining Northrop Grumman in 2003, Livanos served as executive vice president of Boeing Satellite Systems, where he was responsible for technology, engineering, manufacturing, supply chain management, and strategic relationships and ventures. He also served as deputy general manager for the former TRW Electronic Systems and Technology Division and later as executive vice president of operations for Space Systems/Loral. During his career, Livanos participated in the successful launch of 46 satellites and has more than 30 years experience in research and applications in the fields of microelectronics, solid-state physics, electro-optics and signal processing.

Livanos earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering (with honors), a master’s degree in engineering science, and a doctorate in engineering science and physics from the California Institute of Technology. He also taught applied physics at Caltech for two years as a post-doctorate fellow.

In 2009, Livanos was appointed to the Defense Science Board reporting to the Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology & Logistics, Ashton Carter. In 2008, he was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering. That year he also received the Caltech Distinguished Alumni Award, the International von Karman Wings Award from the Aerospace Historical Society, and the IS Executive Leadership Award given by the UCLA Anderson School of Management. He is a senior fellow of the California Council on Science & Technology. He is chairman of the Science Advisory Council for GALCIT and a member of the Visiting Committee for Caltech’s Division of Engineering and Applied Science. He is on the Board of Councilors for the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. He also serves on the UCLA Visiting Committee for Science and Technology. Livanos is a member of the IEEE and AFCEA, and an associate fellow of the AIAA. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Space Foundation, and Planetary Society and formerly served on the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. Board of Directors.