Perry has a strong mix of research, teaching, academic, managerial and practical experience obtained in the construction industry over a 38 year period. His experience stems from initiation at trade level followed by senior management positions in design, construction, estimating, project management and professional consultancy organisations.

He successfully melded his industry experience with a broad spanning career in academia which has culminated in his current role as Professor of Construction Project Management, as followed by his previous role as Head of School (School of the Built Environment). In research and project sponsorship terms, Perry has won in excess of $1.0 million worth of work at UTS.

His core research areas track industry needs and include: construction productivity, process improvement, modern methods of construction, supply chain integration, quality management, customer satisfaction, waste management, uptake of digital technologies and sustainability issues. Much of this has occurred in around the advancement of prefabricated systems, especially around timber construction. In making use of the above, Perry has advised many leading companies and government bodies both within Australia and overseas.

Coupled with the above, Perry has received a number of industry and academic awards, the most recent being receipt of a 2016 Gottstein Fellowship. He has published widely including over 70 articles in academic, educational and industry publications.