An early pioneer using an electron microscope to study copepod organs and tissues, she taught at Barnard College for 35 years and served as Chair of the Biological Sciences department.

She received her Master of Science in 1953 at the University of Washington,[5] completing her thesis on the subject of fauna present in four brooks in Boulder County, Colorado.

[6] Dudley continued her education with Paul Louis Illg at the University of Washington, where she contributed research on aquatic organisms, including crustaceans known as copepods and invertebrates known as tunicates, throughout the various stages of their development.

[7] Following her graduate studies, she joined the faculty of Columbia University in 1959, teaching zoology at Barnard College, a position she held until her retirement in 1994.

She directed that fund recipients spend significant time at Friday Harbor,[10] and added her desire that "findings contribute to the understanding of evolutionary relationships".