Former President of the Association for Jewish Studies, she currently holds the Patrick Clendenen Chair in Women's and Gender history at American University.

In doing so she has publicized the names of the first women to push against the established male-only rabbinates of the United States,[8] tracing the origins of that debate in the late 19th century to an 1889 short story in the Jewish Exponent, "A Problem for Purim," by the journalist Mary M. Cohen, a member of the historic Philadelphia synagogue, Congregation Mikveh Israel.

In this groundbreaking history, Nadell shows two threads binding the nation's Jewish women: a powerful sense of self and a deep commitment to making the world a better place.

In her letter, Nadell expressed concern that such obstacles would encumber scholarship coming out of the Budapest-based Central European University.

"[16] In her testimony, Nadell alleged that such a definition would only limit free speech,[17][18] and stated that Jewish students "feel safe on campus" without restrictions.

[19] On December 5, 2023, Nadell testified in front of the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce, along with the presidents of MIT and Harvard, at a hearing about antisemitism on university campuses.