Nozomi Tanaka specializes in morphosyntax, child language development, second language acquisition, and heritage languages. Using a comparative approach, she explores both the similarities and differences in language acquisition processes across various languages and speaker populations, employing laboratory and field experiments. While her work has primarily focused on Austronesian languages (e.g., Tagalog) and Japonic languages (e.g., Japanese), she is continually seeking opportunities to study additional languages.