myCSUSM
Meet the Team
Dr. Stephen Tsui
Faculty Director of Innovation
Dr. Tsui is an experimental condensed matter physicist with a primary interest in electronic conduction and magnetic phenomena in materials. His research interests span the areas of resistive random access memories, spin reorientation, nanoscience, and materials physics. Dr. Tsui's teaching responsibilities include both lower and upper-division physics courses. His extracurricular pursuits include serving as a co-advisor to the CSUSM Chapter of the Sigma Pi Sigma Physics Honor Society. He also performs scientific outreach and participates in various community engagement events. Dr. Tsui earned his B.S. in Physics with Honors from the University of Houston in 2002, his M.S in Physics from the University of Houston in 2004, and his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Houston in 2008.
Dr. Paola Ometto
Faculty Director of Entrepreneurship
Paola Ometto is an Assistant Professor of Management in the College of Business Administration at California State University San Marcos. She is passionate about how businesses navigate global environments and the current demand for being more environmentally sustainable and socially just. She also researches how communities and institutional factors impact entrepreneurship and corporations. Prior to joining CSUSM, she received her Ph.D. in Strategic Management and Organization at Alberta Business School (University at Alberta) and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from FGV-EAESP (Sao Paulo - Brazil). She has presented her work at the Academy of Management Conference and the European Group of Organization Studies.
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 operational planning of the Innovation Hub and optimizing the allocation of resources, funds, and streamlining operations. To that end, Melvin’s responsibilities encompass a diverse range of tasks, including analyzing and forecasting budget needs, working closely with various stakeholders to ensure resources are utilized efficiently, and providing strategic recommendations to enhance operational efficiency. Melvin earned his B.A. in Sociology and M.A. in Sociological Practice at California State University, San Marcos.
Wendy Huemme
Program Coordinator for the Innovation Hub
Wendy Huemme, in her role as Program Coordinator, is tasked with event planning and the logistics and operations of the Innovation Hub while advancing the goals and missions of the university. She oversees the day-to-day operations of the Innovation Hub, managing collaborative use of the space, leading and encouraging students, staff, faculty, and community in innovation and entrepreneurship, and advancing the missions of the Innovation Ecosystem at California State University, San Marcos. Wendy's background is in project management, and she brings many years of nonprofit and teambuilding experience to this role.