Dickerson holds a bachelor of science degree in engineering management from the University of Missouri, Rolla, and an MBA degree from the University of Missouri, Kansas City. Prior to Applied Materials, he was CEO of Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc. for seven years. He then spent 18 years at KLA-Tencor Corporation, where he held a variety of operations and product development roles before serving as president and chief operating officer. Dickerson was named president of Applied Materials, Inc. in June 2012 and appointed chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors in September 2013. For each of the past three years, Mr. Dickerson has been named one of the "World’s Best CEOs" by Barron’s for delivering solid performance and a compelling growth strategy.