 Gadagkar has published over 275 scientific papers and articles in various international journals as well as in Indian journals like Current Science magazine, and the Journal of Biosciences (India), both published from Bangalore.His most important contribution to the field of evolution of eusociality is the theory of "assured fitness returns" which has been verified from empirical data  and can be considered as a significant landmark in this field since the seminal work done by W. D. Hamilton in 1964.Over the last three decades he has established an active research group that has contributed towards understanding the proximate and ultimate factors of social evolution in wasps.