Dr. Kommattam's research focuses on modern and contemporary South Asian literatures and gender studies, with a special focus on Southern Indian languages, such as Malayalam. She is currently working on a monagraph titled "The Public Secret", which examines discourses surrounding non-normative desires in Southern India. Current reserach interests include Gender and Sexuality Studies, Queer Theory and Animal Studies.

In 2017, Nisha Kommattam was awarded a multi-year research grant from the Bundesministerium fuer Bildung und Forschung (German Ministry for Education and Research). She currently holds a research position at the University of Cologne, Germany. Prior to that award, she taught at the University of Chicago and held a postdoctoral fellowship at Dartmouth College, USA.