His research activity regards the theoretical and experimental characterization of integrated optical devices on lithium niobate, the fabrication of waveguides via ion-exchange technique, the modelling of nonlinear optics devices, photonic crystal fibers and planar photonic band gap devices; design and fabrication of lasers and optical amplifiers, in both photonic crystal fibers (PCF) and planar optics, for near (NIR) and medium (MID-IR) infrared wavelength application; modeling of innovative optical materials and devices activated by rare earth doping; design, fabrication and characterization of optical devices for environmental monitoring and biomedicine application in fiber and planar optics. Since 1992 Prof. Prudenzano is included as researcher in a number of research projects funded by Research Italian Ministry, Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica.

Moreover, he was responsible of cooperations with a number of industries in the area of electromagnetism and optic. During his research activity on novel rare earth doped glass and/or devices he was responsible of cooperations with research institutions as: Department of Materials-University of Leeds, Centro Laser di Valenzano (Bari), Centro Studi Chimica Plasmi (Bari), INFM (Lecce), CNR-FSA (Trento), University of Rennes (France), l'Institut de Recherche en Ingénierie, Moléculaire et Matériaux Fonctionnels, UMR CNRS, Le Mans (France), Laboratoire de Physique de l'Università de Bourgogne (France); Chemistry Institute of Universidade Paulista ESP, Araraquara, San Paolo, Brazil, il Physics Dep.Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran. He was scientific responsible of the research unit of Politecnico di Bari for the project PRIN 2004 having title: "Guidelines for fabrication of high transparency glassceramics activated for photonic application: models for characterization, active optical device feasibility ", he was National Coordinator of the Italian-French project Galileo 2007 UIF "Model and fabrication of novel optical devices for high performance communication systems".

Moreover he was responsible of the Dipartimento di Elettrotecnica ed Elettronica - Politecnico of Bari research activity pertaining to the projects: PON 2000/2006 on "novel strategies of environmental monitoring and reclamation" FISR 2003 on "a temperature sensor for high speed train locomotive pantograph" FIB-LAS-2004.07 on the design and a fabrication of high brilliance double-clad fiber optic laser" He is a member of SIEm, Società Italiana di Elettromagnetismo, the Federazione Italiana di Elettrotecnica, Elettronica, Automazione, Informatica e Telecomunicazioni (AEIT), of CNIT - Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Telecomunicazioni and of the Italian Society of Optics and Photonics - Italian Branch of European Optical Society (SIOF-EOS). He was Project Leader of the work group P.3.3 Photonic crystal fibres European COST ACTION MP0702 "Towards functional sub-wavelength photonic structure". He has co-authored over 270 publications, 160 of which published on journals and international conferences, lectures, invited papers and is involved in several national and international research projects and co-operations.