Gary W. Perry

Biosketch

Dr. Perry is Professor of Neuroscience in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science and is currently acting as the Director of the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences. He joined the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences and the Department of Psychology at Florida Atlantic University in 1989. He has taught extensively in the graduate and undergraduate programs at FAU and he has been involved in the development of several interdisciplinary graduate programs, initially the PhD program in Complex Systems and Brain Sciences, as well as the joint graduate PhD program in Integrative Biology and Neuroscience with the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience. His research interests have included molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating neural development, neural regeneration, and neuroplasticity; and more recently the evolving field of Educational Neuroscience.

From May 1, 2014, through June 30, 2018, Dr. Perry served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at FAU following nine months as Interim Provost (2013-2014). As Provost, Dr. Perry served as the Chief Academic Officer for the University and led the Division of Academic Affairs, directing the development and delivery of all academic programs at FAU while overseeing the division’s budget and personnel. The Division of Academic Affairs comprises FAU’s 10 colleges that deliver more than 180-degree programs at the Bachelor’s, Masters and Doctoral levels. Related areas, such as the University Registrar, the University Libraries, the Lifelong Learning Society, Enrollment Management, Financial Aid, Institutional Effectiveness and Analysis, and the Office of Information Technology also came under the division’s umbrella.

Prior to his appointment as Interim Provost, Dr. Perry served for seven years as Dean of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science (2006-2013). As dean, he was the chief executive and administrative officer of the College and provided leadership and vision for the College, administered the affairs of the College, and served as the liaison between the college faculty and the Division of Academic Affairs. Previous to this, Dr. Perry had served as Dean for Graduate Studies (Interim) at FAU (2005-2006). In this role, he provided leadership in establishing the appropriate organizational structure and operational procedures necessary to enhance graduate education at FAU. This included graduate admissions, enrollment and progression, financial support, and graduate programs and policies while formalizing a University Graduate Council and a University Graduate Faculty at FAU.

Dr. Perry has also served in additional administrative roles in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science as Senior Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies (1999-2005), as Acting Director of the Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences (1997-1998) and Acting Associate Dean and Chair for the Biomedical Science program (1998-1999). In this latter role, Dr. Perry was involved in the initial development of the Program for Quality Medical Education, a partnership between FAU and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Miami, Florida. This program began as a “2+2 program” between FAU and UMMSM to train additional physicians in Southeast Florida, and in 2010 became the independent Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at FAU.

Dr. Perry has made significant contributions to help establish Southeast Florida as a new Life Science Hub in the US, including work on cooperative agreements between FAU and The Scripps Research Institute - Scripps Florida and the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience, both located in Jupiter, FL; and the Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies located in Port St. Lucie, FL. He was a founding member of the South Florida Bioscience Consortium, now incorporated as part of BioFlorida.

Dr. Perry received his primary and secondary education respectively at Purford Green and Brays Grove Schools (1957-1970) in Harlow, Essex, England, and at the latter served as Deputy then Head Boy (1969-1970). Dr. Perry is a graduate of the University of London (B.Sc., Honours, 1973) and the University of Manchester (M.Sc., 1975 & Ph.D., 1977) in the UK. Following postdoctoral research at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (1977-1978), he held research faculty appointments at the Leaonard M. Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami in Miami, FL (1978 -1981 & 1984 -1989) and the Weill Cornell Medical College of Cornell University in New York, NY (1981-1984) before joining FAU in 1989.

Education

B.Sc.	University of London, U.K., 1973
M.Sc.	University of Manchester, U.K., 1975
Ph.D.	University of Manchester, U.K., 1977

Research Interests

• Molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating cell growth during neural development, regeneration, plasticity, and neo-plasticity; and SIDS.

• Educational Neuroscience: Brain-Based Learning.

Representative Publications (full list)

• H.F. Krous, E.A. Haas, A.E. Chadwick, H. Masoumi, C. Stanley, and G.W. Perry.  Hemoglobin F in sudden infant death syndrome: a San Diego SIDS/SUDC Research Project report. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine. 14(8): 456-460 (2007).
• M. Aleman, M.P. DeYoung, M. Tress, P. Keating. G.W. Perry, and R.  Narayanan. Inhibition of Single-Minded 2 gene expression mediates tumor-selective apoptosis and differentiation in human colon cancer cells. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (USA), 102: 12765-12770 (2005).
• L.B. Wodarczyk, V.K.L. Merrill and G.W. Perry, 1998, Differential regulation of fast axonally transported proteins during the early response of rat retinal ganglion cells to axotomy. Journal of Neurochemistry 68, 1114-1123.
• G.W. Perry, D.W. Burmeister and B. Grafstein, 1987 Labeling of proteins in fast axonal transport during regeneration of goldfish optic nerve. Journal of Neuroscience 7, 792-806.
• G.W. Perry and D.L. Wilson, 1981 Protein synthesis and axonal transport during nerve regeneration. Journal of Neurochemistry 37, 1203-1218.
• J.R. Cronly-Dillon and G.W. Perry, 1979.  Effect of visual experience on tubulin synthesis during a critical period of visual cortex development in the hooded rat. Journal of Physiology 293, 469-484.
• J.R. Cronly-Dillon and G.W. Perry, 1976 Tubulin synthesis in developing rat visual cortex. Nature 261, 581-583.

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Current Teaching

Biological Bases of Behavior, PSB 3002

Directed Independent Research: Behavioral Neuroscience PSY 4915

Contact Information

Center for Complex Systems and Brain Sciences

Charles E. Schmidt College of Science

Florida Atlantic University

Behavioral Sciences Building (BS-12), Room 309

777 Glades Road

Boca Raton, FL 33431, USA

email: perryg@fau.edu

CV (pdf)