Dr. Tanenbaum's research focuses on medieval Jewish intellectual history with a special emphasis on literary works from Islamic lands. She has a long-standing interest in philosophical themes in Hebrew poetry from Spain, and has published a book entitled The Contemplative Soul: Hebrew Poetry and Philosophical Theory in Medieval Spain (Leiden: Brill, 2002). Before coming to OSU, Dr. Tanenbaum spent twelve years in England as a Member of the Oriental Studies Faculty of Oxford University, a Senior Associate of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and a Visiting Lecturer at University College London.

At OSU, Professor Tanenbaum coordinates Hebrew 241, "The Culture of Contemporary Israel" and teaches an honors section of that course. She also teaches a variety of medieval and modern Hebrew literature courses.