Richard grew up in France, earned his agronomy engineer’s degree in aquaculture from Ecole Nationale Superieure Agronomique de Rennes (ENSAR-ENSAIA), Doctor of Philosophy in quantitative genetics and nutrition at AgroParisTech, and Master of Business Administration from École des Ponts ParisTech.

As an undergraduate investigating probiotic and hatcheries at The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre (SEAFDEC) in the Philippines, Richard developed a keen interest in addressing the combined goals of food safety, environmental sustainability and social responsibility in tropical aquaculture. He also implemented breeding programmes with French aquaculture farmers at the French Poultry and Aquaculture Breeders’ Union (SYSAAF).

In 2013, Richard founded Genotop, an independent aquaculture genetics company assisting hatcheries and farms in breeding programmes. The enterprise was soon acquired by IMV Technologies Group, a significant player in veterinary and medical reproduction biotechnologies, as well as veterinary imaging. Richard then oversaw research, development and marketing of various aquaculture products. He developed mass cryopreservation practices in salmon hatcheries in Chile, Norway, Iceland, France, USA, Thailand, and China, as well as led disruptive innovative projects in biochemistry, micro-mechanics, cytometry, electronics, software and fluidics. These include high-speed sorter for salmonid eggs, pneumatic device for handling cryopreserved straws, microfluidic cell scanner, bioencapsulation gel for spermatozoa, and an antibiotic-free cleaning agent for salmon oocytes.

Richard joined TLL as Director in 2020. He specializes in conducting research related to nutrition, genetics and farming systems. He also leads commercial strategy for aquaculture at the institute.