Perry has a degree in theoretical physics and trained as a forecaster with the Bureau of Meteorology, where he worked for 18 years, mostly as a climatologist. Since 2020 he has worked in the Climate Change and Energy Division of the ACT’s Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate, where he is now the Director of the Adaptation and Resilience Policy team, which seeks to contribute to Canberra being a climate-ready city and strengthen Canberran’s resilience to climate change.