Professor of Geology at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), whose principal research interest is the study of earthquakes by geological methods. His documentation of ancient earthquakes and slip rates along the San Andreas, San Jacinto and other California faults set the standard for quantitative estimates of the probability of future destructive earthquakes in California.

Currently Kerry's work is in Taiwan, Turkey and the Caucasus, Indonesia and California. He has served on numerous scientific peer-review committees and advisory panels for State and Federal governments and has served as a consultant to various public utilities, municipalities and geotechnical firms.

He formed and led the earthquake geology working group of the Southern California Earthquake Center and is Professor of Geology in the Seismological Laboratory at the California Institute of Technology.