Riccardo studied Maths and Stats at the University of Aberdeen (2001-2005), followed by an MSc in Operational Research (2005-2006) and PhD in Genetic Epidemiology (2006-2009) at the University of Edinburgh. He then spent 12 months working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Cambridge before being awarded a fellowship from Alzheimer's Research UK (2010-2013) that was split between Cambridge, Bordeaux (INSERM U897), and Edinburgh. In 2013 he was awarded a Chancellor's Fellowship at the University of Edinburgh, with a tenure appointment in 2016 and promotion to Senior Research Fellow in 2019.  He was promoted to professor (personal chair in Molecular Epidemiology of Ageing) in August 2022.

He works across biostats, epidemiology, and omics with applications to ageing and a specific focus on brain health. 

Outside of work, you'll find him watching rugby, playing golf, cooking and making cocktails.