 Armen served as Senior Vice President of Research for Dean Witter Reynolds (1986–1989), focusing on the chemical and pharmaceutical industries and with E.F. Hutton & Company as first Vice President (1981–1986).Before entering finance, Armen had been an associate professor at the Merchant Marine Academy and a research associate at the Brookhaven National Laboratory.Armen's journey into drug development began when his mother died from breast cancer in 1973.