Jeff Grover

Jeff’s interest in geology began in southern California with his grandfather’s rock and mineral collection and stories of working in the mines of early 20th-century Aspen, Colorado. He went on to earn degrees in Geology from the University of Southern California (B.S.) and the University of Arizona (M.S.), where he focused on tectonics and structural geology.

Over the course of his career, Jeff has worked as both a petroleum exploration geologist and an engineering geologist specializing in landslide and earthquake-hazard mitigation. For 38 years, he taught geology at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, California, where his courses included Geology of California, Physical Geology and Historical Geology. He also taught introductory physical science, combining astronomy and geology, and led field trips and seminars to destinations including Yosemite National Park, the eastern Sierra Nevada, Death Valley National Park and Grand Canyon National Park. He retired from full-time teaching in 2018.

For more than two decades, Jeff combined teaching with seasonal work as a naturalist aboard expedition ships. His travels with National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions have taken him to Alaska, Iceland, Norway and the Columbia River, where he has shared his expertise in geology, tectonics and Earth processes with travelers.
Jeff lives in Morro Bay, California, with his wife. His decades of teaching, field instruction and expedition work reflect a career centered on helping others understand landscapes, geologic history and the forces that shape the natural world.