Meet the Team

Dr. Elinne Becket

Faculty Director of Innovation

Elinne Becket is an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. She earned her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of California, Los Angeles and BS in Biochemistry from University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Becket is a bacterial genomicist and an expert in next-generation sequencing assay development and applications, with over 15 years of assay development experience in academia and the biotechnology industry. Since joining CSUSM, she has led an undergraduate-focused laboratory that examines the effects of urban runoff on southern California coastal microbiomes, and she has been deeply committed to connecting students with mentors across different sectors towards innovation in the life sciences and beyond.

Mark Monahan

Faculty Director of Entrepreneurship

Mark Monahan is a financial technology executive and a faculty member of the College of Business Administration (CoBA) at CSUSM. He has been CEO of several firms and has played a lead role in five acquisitions. Mark has lived and worked throughout Europe and Asia after obtaining his Master of Buisness Administration (MBA) from San Diego State University.

Dr. Scott Gross

Associate Vice President for Industry Partnerships

In this role, Dr. Gross builds mutually beneficial partnerships with the community. Focused on creating opportunities for innovation, specifically social innovation, Dr. Gross serves as a matchmaker for faculty/students and industry. He is tasked with building infrastructure to support faculty inventors. To that end, Dr. Gross spends time providing oversight for the Innovation Hub, creating processes to protect intellectual property and enable technology transfer and commercialization. Dr. Gross earned his B.A. in History from Creighton University, his M.A. in Education/Sociology from DePaul University, and his doctorate in Educational Leadership as part of the Joint Doctoral Program at UC San Diego and California State University San Marcos.

Melvin Sen

Program Specialist for the Innovation Hub

Melvin Sen, in his role as Program Specialist, is tasked with the logistical and operational planning of the Innovation Hub and advancing the goals and missions of the university. To that end, Melvin oversees the day-to-day operations of the Innovation Hub through leading collaborative use of the space, operationalizing and encouraging student, staff, faculty, and community innovation and entrepenurship, and advancing the missions of the Innovation Ecosystem at California State University, San Marcos. Melvin earned his B.A. in Sociology and is currently pursing his M.A. in Sociological Practice at California State University, San Marcos.