Freeland-Graves is awarded Ph.D. in Nutrition from Rutgers University in 1975 She is the Bess Helfin Professor and Head of the Division of Nutritional Sciences.  She has been an assistant, associate and full professor, graduate advisor, associate chairman, and chairman of the Department of Human Ecology. Her research has centered on mineral requirements and metabolism in humans (particularly manganese), obesity, vegetarianism and osteoporosis. She recently completed a sabbatical in molecular biology of trace minerals. She developed a Website for her nutrition class (www.utexas.edu/courses/ntr311) and is editor of the nutrient information pages for The American Society of Nutritional Sciences (ASNS) (www.nutrition.org). In the past six years, she has been the recipient of ten grants totaling $2.345 million from the National Institutes of Health, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bracco Diagnostics, and Nycomed R&D. She has numerous scientific publications, including a major textbook "Foundations of Food Preparation," 1996, Prentice-Hall, in its sixth edition (741 pages). She is recognized as a nutrition expert in Manganese, Carbohydrates, and in Dietary Allowances and Dietary Guidelines by the ASNS. She serves on the Board of Directors of the International Society for Trace Elements in Human Research, is the Chair of Nutrition and Food Management of the Texas Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Chair of the Faculty Women's Organization at UT Austin and served as the UT Austin Representative to Leadership Texas in 1993. She spearheaded the following endowments: the Robert E. Boyer Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Natural Sciences; the Paul C. Tricket, M.D. Endowed Presidential Scholarship for Premedical/ Presidential Student Athletes; and the Julian C. Barton Professorship.

Dr. Freeland-Graves research has centered on mineral requirements and metabolism in humans (particularly manganese), obesity, vegetarianism and osteoporosis.