 He received his Ph.D. (Surveying Engineering) with minor in Economics from Department of Surveying Engineering, University of Maine, 1991 

He is a registered professional land surveyor in Texas, Maine, and Australia.Jeffress has been one of the original co-principal investigators of the Texas Coastal Ocean Observation Network since 1991, and held the Blucher Chair of Excellence in Surveying from 1990-1991.He has held teaching positions in Australia and the United States, and has also taught short courses in Haiti.