Gerry is currently Principal Scientist and Vice President at Sandia National Laboratories. His career began at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1962 as senior scientist. In 1967, Gerry joined Physics International and was responsible for investigating the physics of high power electron beams. In 1972, he joined Sandia National Laboratories where he initiated and directed the particle beam fusion program and the particle beam weapon program. In 1983, Gerry was chosen to serve as Chairman of the Directed Energy Weapon Panel of the "Fletcher" study that formed the basis for the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) Program. He was subsequently chosen to serve as the first Chief Scientist and Acting Deputy Director for the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) from 1984-1986. In 1986, Gerry joined Titan Corporation as President of Titan Technologies. Gerry rejoined Sandia in 1989 as Director of Laboratory Development, and in 1991, he became Vice President of Systems Applications where he focused on strategic leadership in new initiatives in global surveillance, battlefield sensors, and nonnuclear high precision weapons. In 1995, Gerry became VP of Systems, Science, and Technology, and in 1999, he became Principal Scientist and initiated Sandia's Advanced Concepts Group.

After completing a BS in Engineering Physics at Cornell University in 1962, he received a Guggenheim fellowship for graduate study at California Institute of Technology and received a Ph.D. in Engineering Science and Physics in 1966. Gerry is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and was recently elected to the grade Fellow of the AIAA. He is a member of Sigma Xi and Tau Beta Pi. Most recently, Gerry was awarded the BEAMS prize "in recognition of his original contributions to the field of particle beams." He was awarded the Peter Haas Award by IEEE for "outstanding service to the field of pulsed power technology," and the Fusion Power Associates Leadership Award. He received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public service for "exceptionally meritorious service to his country by significant contributions to the nation's Strategic Defense Initiative."

Gerry serves on the USAF Scientific Advisory Board, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Technical Advisory Group, the Defense Science Board Task Force, and the Center for Strategic & Int'l. Studies Commission on Global Aging. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Electrical Engineering Department of Cornell University, and the Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Council at the University of New Mexico.