Deron is full-time faculty at Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC), where he teaches a variety of geoscience courses.

His interest lies in studying how collaborative undergraduate research experiences affect transfer student efficacy and science identity. He served as the PI for the NSF-funded LBOS Geobridge Program, an extracurricular program bridging geoscience students from LBCC to nearby Oregon State University. The students participated in place-based collaborative research projects to help build a cohort that supports each other through the academic, social, and institutional challenges that many transfer students face. He also has served as a community college liaison for the NSF-funded IDES program, and is currently a project advisor for the ARC Learn program.

Deron has also been involved in projects to transform STEM instruction at two-year colleges, including being selected as a participant in the SAGE 2YC: Faculty as Change Agents. This work includes leading LBCC faculty in using high impact, evidence based teaching strategies to improve classroom equity and inclusivity.