Lagudah leads a team with a research spectrum covering basic studies on the molecular basis of race non-specific resistance, adult plant rust resistance, cloning of wheat resistance genes, genomic analyses of targeted disease resistance traits and the identification and utilisation of molecular markers for disease resistance breeding. Among his research highlights was defining the molecular basis of adult plant rust resistance genes which represent novel classes of plant defence genes (Science 2009, Nature Genetics 2015) that function broadly in cereal crops against multiple pathogens.