Professor John R. Perry has made significant contributions to many areas of philosophy with special attention paid to the philosophy of language and philosophy of mind. He is known primarily for his work on situation semantics (together with Jon Barwise), reflexivity, indexicality, and self-knowledge. He is the Henry Waldgrave Stuart Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus. He has served as Chair of the Philosophy Department and Director of the Center for the Study of Language and Information (CSLI), an independent research center founded in 1983.

He is also the author of over 100 articles and books, including A Dialogue on Personal Identity and Immortality; Knowledge, Possibility, and Consciousness; and Reference and Reflexivity. In 2004, he became co-host, with Kenneth Taylor, of Philosophy Talk, the radio program that "questions everything... except your intelligence." He also produces non-technical work that reaches a wider audience, such as his humorous 1995 online essay "Structured Procrastination," arguably the Internet’s most popular essay on procrastination. He recently published a book on this topic called The Art of Procrastination: A Guide to Effective Dawdling, Lollygagging, and Postponing.

Perry is past Vice President and President of the American Philosophical Association (Pacific Division). He is also member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a recipient of many honors and awards, including the Nicod and Humboldt Prizes. A popular lecturer, in 1990 he was awarded Stanford’s Dinkelspiel Award for undergraduate teaching.