Archer completed the Program for Management Development at the Harvard Graduate School of Business and earned a B.S. degree in applied physics from the California Institute of Technology. He started his career in 1989 at Tektronix, where he was responsible for process development for high-speed bipolar ICs. He spent 18 years at Novellus Systems, Inc., filling various roles in technology development and business leadership. Archer joined Lam Research in June 2012 as executive vice president and chief operating officer. He was appointed President in 2018, and CEO later that same year. Archer also serves as chairman of the board for the National GEM Consortium, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to increasing the participation of underrepresented groups at the master’s and doctoral levels in engineering and science.