News

By Ryan Rayno, DEVCOM Public Affairs

Foteini Argiropoulos, Ph.D., a software assurance lead for U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, or DEVCOM, Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center, or DEVCOM C5ISR Center, did not take a typical path to get to where she is now.

Originally from Corfu, Greece, Argiropoulos did not start postsecondary schooling until she was 32 and living in the United States.

“Once my two daughters started preschool and kindergarten, I started going to community college,” Argiropoulos said. “The first course that I took was marketing, and a part of that class discussed computer science and information technology. I thought, ‘this is the field that I’m actually interested in.’”

From that single marketing class at community college, Argiropoulos has checked every education box there is.

“It’s funny to me sometimes because I didn’t know if I would be able to keep continuing after each step,” she said. “Life was always getting in the way it seemed, so I just set one goal at a time: first I’ll get an associate of science degree; after the associates degree I’ll get a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems; after a bachelor’s degree I’ll get a Master of Science in Information Systems; and after a master’s degree I’ll get a doctorate in Information Systems.”

“It’s funny to me sometimes because I didn’t know if I would be able to keep continuing after each step,” she said. “Life was always getting in the way it seemed, so I just set one goal at a time: first I’ll get an associate of science degree; after the associates degree I’ll get a Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems; after a bachelor’s degree I’ll get a Master of Science in Information Systems; and after a master’s degree I’ll get a doctorate in Information Systems.”

Through that long journey, Argiropoulos has found a profound gratitude for not only the educational opportunities, but the doors those opportunities opened.

“I feel lucky to be employed by the Department of Defense and by DEVCOM C5ISR Center,” she said. “I am extremely grateful, because not only was I not born in the U.S., but I also started my career at an older age. Despite that, I know I’m trusted to do the work and because of that, I’m able to thrive in my field, so I couldn’t be more grateful and thankful for the work I’m doing here.”

Argiropoulos credits her husband and team for supporting her while she pursued her education, including her doctorate while working at DEVCOM C5ISR Center, but credits her leadership for supporting her through her innovation efforts.

“The great thing about working here is that I have the freedom to bring new technologies or ideas to our team,” she said. “I’m given the go ahead to see if we can implement any work-related innovation into our research processes to make them more efficient. I get to work on the kinds of things that really excite me and I’m extremely happy to work with the people that I do.”

“The great thing about working here is that I have the freedom to bring new technologies or ideas to our team,” she said. “I’m given the go ahead to see if we can implement any work-related innovation into our research processes to make them more efficient. I get to work on the kinds of things that really excite me and I’m extremely happy to work with the people that I do.”

Argiropoulos primarily works on machine learning and how it can be utilized to help warfighters win on the battlefield.

“I think machine learning will become more and more engaged in our daily activities and lives, and while we have to be very careful with it and ensure that we have checks on it, I fully embrace it,” she said. “I’m very excited for what the future brings because I think that the advancements will be something that we are not able to imagine right now. It’s going to help us continue to reduce the risk of harm to our Soldiers, and it’s going to help Soldiers carry out their mission more effectively. That is the number one priority and that is what we work for.”

While Argiropoulos is grateful for the support from her family and coworkers, and grateful for the opportunities that support has led to, there is one other thing she primarily feels regarding her professional career: pride.

“I am extremely proud of my organization and how it helps its employees achieve their goals,” she said. “I’m proud of our mission, and I’m proud of the team that I work with.”

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The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, is Army Futures Command’s leader and integrator within a global ecosystem of scientific exploration and technological innovation. DEVCOM expertise spans eight major competency areas to provide integrated research, development, analysis and engineering support to the Army and DOD. From rockets to robots, drones to dozers, and aviation to artillery, DEVCOM innovation is at the core of the combat capabilities American Warfighters need to win on the battlefield of the future. For more information, visit devcom.army.mil.