Professor Kahl-Nieke studied Dental Medicine at the Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, Germany, and was awarded her Doctorate (Dr. med. dent.) in 1986. Her orthodontic specialist training was undertaken at the Department of Orthodontics, University of Cologne. She obtained her habilitation (PhD degree) and qualification as a university lecturer in 1994.
Until 1994 she was Associate Professor at the Department of Orthodontics, University of Cologne, from 1992 Research fellow and guest-lecturer at the Dept. of Orthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Connecticut, USA. In 1999 she was appointed Chair and Head of the Department. of Orthodontics, University of Hamburg.
Her main research interests are: treatment timing; early orthodontic treatment of Class III and other malocclusions; orthodontic treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, temporomandibular joint disorders, and hemifacial microsomia; orthodontic treatment of cleft-lip-and-palate patients as well as of adults with orthodontic/surgical treatment needs
Professor Kahl-Nieke is a member of a number of committees and on the editorial boards of the Journal of Orofacial Orthopedics and World Journal of Orthodontics.
She has authored/co-authored almost 100 original articles and chapters in textbooks. She is the author of the textbook 'Introduction to Orthodontics'.