Mahmoud Riad graduated with a Masters degree in Architecture & Diploma in Urban Design from the School of Architecture, Planning, & Preservation at the University of Maryland in 2009. His Master's thesis dissertation explored the relationship between music & architecture. The architectural manifestation of his thesis research has won numerous awards including the School of Architecture, Planning, & Preservation’s Dean’s Thesis Prize & the 2009 AIA Maryland Graduate Design Award.

Upon graduation, he moved to London to work at world-renowned Zaha Hadid Architects. While working with Zaha, he was exposed to work with various cultures & regions, utilizing cutting edge digital technology - gaining experience in stages A-E as well as international competitions & various product design pieces. His projects included Stone Towers in Cairo, Hainan towers & Jinsha Footbridge in China, University of Houston Student Center Extension in Texas, 6 Grosvenor Crescent Mews House in London, 425 Park Ave in New York, Vasby Entry in Sweden, Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Azerbaijan, as well as working in the design exhibition team of the 2012 Royal Academy of Arts Summer Show.

His prior working experience includes internships at Weihe Design Group, & Ehrenkrantz, Eckstut, & Kuhn - both in Washington DC - where he worked on a number of residential & urban design projects.

In October of 2012, he assumed design responsibilities at his family RiadArchitecture (based out of Atlanta, Georgia - and Cairo, Egypt), pushing the practice to engage in international bids & competitions. He has since won the 2013 YAF 10up challenge for AIA Atlanta; the Five Senses Hotel Competition in Bari, Italy; & placed third in the VinDeGarde Winewall competition – and has been shortlisted for a 135 acre masterplan in Samara, Russia, and to the 2nd stage of DesignBoom’s “Design for Death” Competition. He is currently working on various interior, furniture, & product design endeavors, as well on a number of residential units.