When Justin Taylor walked the halls of The University of Texas at Austin as an undergraduate computer science major, the technology landscape looked vastly different. Today, Taylor is a vice president at Lockheed Martin, where he has helped lead the aerospace giant’s work in artificial intelligence and machine learning. His career offers a compelling example of what a UTCS degree can unlock.
Now, as executive champion for Lockheed Martin’s strategic partnership with UT Austin and a member of the UTCS Advisory Council, Taylor is actively building the pipeline that brings current Longhorns into national security, aerospace, and advanced defense technology.
At the center of that effort is Friends of Computer Science (FoCS), UT Austin’s flagship industry engagement program.
Bridging Defense Innovation and Academic Excellence
For a global defense company like Lockheed Martin, with more than 60,000 scientists and engineers, recruiting software talent means finding people who can solve complex technical problems where the stakes are high.
Through FoCS, Lockheed Martin can connect personally with UT’s top-tier students outside the friction of traditional, high-volume campus job fairs.
Instead of brief resume drops, events like the FoCS Fall and Spring Recruiting Summits, and technical info sessions allow engineering leaders to discuss complex architectures, autonomous systems and agentic AI directly with students.
“What draws students to our team isn't just the complexity of the engineering, it's the clarity of the mission," Taylor says. "When you build software for Lockheed Martin, your code directly protects service members and solves critical national security challenges. That sense of mission gives the technology real purpose."
“We aren't just looking for brilliant theorists or hands-on builders in isolation, we need the rare individuals who are both thinkers and tinkerers," Taylor emphasizes when describing the talent pipeline from UTCS. "The problems we are solving require people who can conceptualize complex, high-level algorithms and then roll up their sleeves to make them work seamlessly in real-world systems."
A Flexible Strategic Framework
Through FoCS, corporate champions like Taylor help organize tech talks and work with student organizations to connect students with industry. These experiences show students how what they learn in computer science courses applies to mission-critical software and AI systems.
By maintaining an active presence at UT Austin, Lockheed Martin and other industry leaders help shape a recruiting environment built on ongoing relationships rather than isolated transactions.
As aerospace and defense software environments grow increasingly complex, the bridge between UT Austin and industry leaders ensures that Longhorn computer scientists remain at the forefront of modern computing. For Taylor, returning to campus as an executive champion completes a full cycle: empowering the next generation of engineers to tackle problems that matter, right from where his own journey began.
Ready to connect with industry leaders shaping the future of technology?
- Students: Explore career opportunities, tech talks, and upcoming events with Lockheed Martin and other partner companies.
- Industry Leaders: Partner with UTCS to engage top-tier talent and shape the next generation of computing.
Visit Friends of Computer Science (FoCS) to get involved.