Richard PERRY

Richard John O’brien Perry, PhD, CEnv, FISEP

Dr Richard Perry is an environmental scientist with extensive expertise in biodiversity, environmental policy, and sustainable development. He holds a BSc in Zoology and a PhD in Evolutionary Population Dynamics. A Fellow of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (FISEP) and a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv), he has dedicated his career to advancing environmental research, regulatory frameworks, and sustainability initiatives.

Dr Perry’s international career began as Programme Manager for the European Commission DGXI LIFE Project "Cybestuaries", where he developed best-practice guidelines for sustainable estuary management. In 1999, he joined the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA)—now the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD)—where he was instrumental in establishing the agency’s environmental regulatory, GIS, and protected areas functions.

From 2004 to 2006, he served as Biodiversity Manager for the Mallee Catchment Management Authority in Australia before returning to the UAE as a Senior Environmental Advisor with ADNOC and later as Environment and Sustainability Manager for Masdar City.

In 2010, Dr Perry rejoined EAD, leading the Environment Vision 2030 programme. In 2012, he was appointed Executive Director, establishing the Environmental Science, Information, and Outreach Management Sector, where he oversaw the agency’s environmental education programme. He chaired the Research and Technical Committee from 2012 to 2022 and continues to serve as a senior advisor.

Dr Perry was Chair of the Socio-Scientific Committee for the 12th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC) 2024, contributing to the Abu Dhabi Roadmap for Education for Sustainable Development and the founding of the Abu Dhabi Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE).

He serves on advisory boards at Abu Dhabi University, Khalifa University, New York University Abu Dhabi, and Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi.