His research lies at the intersection between programming languages and database systems, focusing on the integration of language and database functionality for efficient data management. His current research explores language and compiler support for run-time object management (e.g., garbage collection, persistence, resilience, distribution and security) in the context of the Smalltalk, Modula-3, and Java programming languages. Hosking recently co-authored The Garbage Collection Handbook: The Art of Automatic Memory Management, which has recently been published by Chapman & Hall as part of their CRC Applied Algorithms and Data Structures series.