Richard received his MA and MSc in mathematics at Oxford University, and completed his PhD in plant epidemiology at Cambridge University. He subsequently undertook postdoctoral research at the University of California, Davis and the Université Paris-Sud XI, followed by a Microsoft Research Fellowship at Cambridge University. Richard's research involves developing mathematical models to understand how global change influences animal movement, population dynamics, and their interactions with parasites. He is currently involved in projects investigating how anthropogenic food subsidies influence parasite transmission and migratory movement in white ibis and monarch butterflies.