[1] He was the first professor of chemistry at Trinity College Dublin and a founding member of the Royal Irish Academy.
While in Edinburgh, he attended lectures by the chemist Joseph Black which likely sparked Perceval's own interest in chemistry.
[5] He began a grand tour of Europe in June 1780, and used the trip to visit places of scientific interest and colleges, avoiding the more popular and social destinations of most travellers of the time.
He remained in contact with many of these French chemists, later arranging their election as members of the Royal Irish Academy.
[2][3] Perceval returned to Dublin in late 1782, and was admitted as a licentiate and fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) in 1783.
This resulted in the Irish house of lords launching an enquiry into the administration of Sir Patrick Dun's estate in April 1799.
The resulting report led to the school of physic act of 1800, which instructed that a new clinical hospital was to be funded from the Dun estate.
In later life, Perceval suffered with an illness that began with swelling of his hands, and later his hip joints, and caused him intense pain.
While attending a levee in honour of George IV in Dublin Castle in 1821, he attempted to approach the king without a crutch.
Dr Charles Philips Croker presented the RCPI with an oil portrait of Perceval by William Gillard in 1844.