 Michael Tinkham's research was concentrated on superconductivity and in 1975 he published one of the classic textbooks on the subject.Later he has focused on material properties where sample dimensions are in the nanometer range, including studies of nanowires and carbon nanotubes.In 1970 he was made a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and in 1974 he received the Oliver E. Buckley Condensed Matter Prize.