Professor Yadav's research focusses on capturing and utilising naturally occurring genetic variations present in crops germplasm for 'public good' outcomes. To realise such interests he collaborates with academics, industries and ‘not for profit’ inter-governmental organisations across the globe, and is passionate about pursuing international development goals via sustainable agricultural development. His work has delivered unique genetic resources, and advanced genetic technologies, that are delivering crops varieties (and their products) providing enhanced food, nutritional, environmental and health security at global scale. 

Professor Yadav has published over155 research articles, and has been awarded more than £12M of reserach funding to advance his reserach interets. He has been, and is currently, a member of several grant awarding panels within the UK (e.g., BBSRC, British Council, DEFRA, DFID, Innovate UK) and abroad (e.g., European Commission, Swedish Council for Sustainable Development (known as Formas) and Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)). 

Professor Yadav has been an academic editor of PLOS ONE since 2014. Untill recently he also has been a panel member of UK’s Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) sub panel 6: Agriculture, Food and Veterinary sciences) concluded in 2022. In 2020, he also led a team that evaluated the quality of science and impacts generated by an global CGIAR Research Programme on rice agri-food system (known by the name RICE) hosted by International Rice Research Institute (IRRI - https://www.irri.org). 

Professor Yadav is a staunch advocate of sustainable agriculture practces  promoting food security, improved nutrition, and environmentally friendly farming system. 

Dr Rattan Yadav is a professor of plant genetics and holds a personal chair at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) of the Aberystwyth University. An elected Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (FLSW), he received his DPhil degree from the University of Sussex and subsequently undertook post-doctoral research at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Philippines before coming to Aberystwyth in 1996. Professor Yadav, currently, is also an adjunct professor at CCSHAU, Hisar, and recipient of VAJRA faculty (https://dst.gov.in/vajra) award installed by the govt of India.