Grey was appointed the interim provost of the University of California system in 2008. Prior to his appointment he served as acting chancellor of UC Riverside from June 2007 until July 2008. Grey is professor emeritus of Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of California, Davis. He served as vice chancellor and provost at UC Davis from 1993-2001. His honors include the Distinguished Teaching Award, Davis Division of the Academic Senate, 1977; the Magnar Ronning Award for Teaching Excellence, 1979; and the Distinguished Alumnus Award, Phillips University, 1991. Dr. Grey's professional membership includes the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Association for Cell Biology, and Phi Sigma.