The Professor Emeritus, pun-lover, and self-described “heretical geologist” was a member of the EPSS department for over 30 years.
The UCLA Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences is saddened to share the passing of Professor Emeritus Ronald Lee Shreve, who died at his home in Friday Harbor, Washington, on April 17, 2025, at the age of 94.
Ron joined UCLA in 1960, after earning his Ph.D. in geology from Caltech and completing a postdoctoral fellowship in Europe at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich. He was appointed to the Department of Earth and Space Sciences (later renamed Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences) and also held an appointment in UCLA’s Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP). He became an associate professor in 1965 and a full professor soon after. Upon his retirement in 1994, he was named Professor Emeritus.
At UCLA, his research interests spanned geomorphology, quaternary geology, glaciology, and geophysical physics. He was known for his work on landslides, sediment transport, glaciers, and river networks. He often described himself, with characteristic humor, as a “renegade physicist” and a “heretical geologist,” reflecting the way he combined mathematical precision with a geologist’s eye for the field. His theory of river network topology, along with his work on landslide dynamics and glacier hydrology, left a lasting mark on the field.
For his students, Ron’s impact went far beyond his publications. His courses in geomorphology, glaciology, and field geology were challenging but inspiring, and he gave students both freedom and responsibility, encouraging them to think independently rather than mirror his own research. Many recall that his mentorship paired high standards with warmth and humor.
Mark Cloos, a former UCLA graduate student who went on to collaborate with Shreve for nearly a decade, remembered him as both a mentor and a friend:
“Working with Ron was the most satisfying collaboration of my life,” Cloos said. “He had a rare ability to turn complex physical ideas into clear, elegant insights that still shape how we think about the Earth today. I’ll always cherish our phone calls that began with science and ended with conversations about life.”
Ron’s daughter, Beth, offered this reflection: “My father was an intellectual, with broad and deep curiosity about the workings of the world, not just in his area of expertise. He could fix anything. He could build anything, and his work was always meticulous. He had a great sense of humor, his specialty being puns.”
Like any good geologist, Ron loved the outdoors and would often take his family on long trips into the Sierra Mountains. And, like any good scientist, he had a variety of passions outside of his work. Ron was known as an inventive cook and a lover of Baroque music.
Ron is survived by his wife of 63 years, Jean. His daughter, Beth, and son-in-law, Jay. And his grandsons, Nathan and Koby.
Professor Shreve’s legacy lives on in his students, his colleagues, and in the department he helped shape over more than three decades. We remember him as a brilliant scientist, a generous teacher, and a warm presence whose curiosity and humor enriched all who knew him.
Click here to read Mark Cloose’s tribute to Emeritus Shreve.