Following her PhD, Langdale was employed for five years as a
postdoctoral researcher at
Yale University with Tim Nelson. She returned to the UK in 1990, to work in the
Department of Plant Sciences (since 2022 the Department of Biology) where she has worked since. are in two main areas: • the evolution of leaf development and
meristem function in
bryophytes,
lycophytes and
monilophytes • the evolution and development of kranz anatomy in
C4 plants, Langdale's research has been funded by the
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and has been published in leading
peer reviewed
scientific journals. Langdale is the co-author of the book
How to Succeed as a Scientist: From Postdoc to Professor with materials scientist Barbara Gabrys. She featured on the
BBC series,
Plants: From Roots to Riches in 2014 with
Kathy Willis.
Awards and honours Langdale was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2015. Her certificate of election reads: Langdale was elected a member of the
European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) in 2007 She was awarded a
Doctor of Science degree (DSc)
honoris causa by the University of Bath in 2018. She was elected a corresponding member of the
Australian Academy of Science in 2020. She was called as an Honorary Bencher at Middle Temple In 2025. ==Personal life==