She received her PhD from the University of Maine in 2007 and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at The Jackson Laboratory. Her research focuses on understanding the genetic regulation of bone mass with an emphasis on uncovering the genes responsible for regulating osteoblast maturation and function and how these genes interact in gene-gene networks. Further, she is interested in understanding how environmental factors such as dietary fat interact with genetic differences to impact skeletal mass. Dr. Ackert-Bicknell is the Principal Investigator on a number of grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and National Institute of Health.