His research centered on cardiolipin metabolism, particularly in relation to the rare mitochondrial disorder Barth syndrome. During these years, he became interested in the metabolic aspects of aging. Early 2012 Riekelt moved back to Amsterdam to start his own group, for which he received funding from NWO and the ERC. Current research in the group focuses on molecular and translational metabolism, both in the context of inborn errors of metabolism and aging.