Dingwell began his research career at the Carnegie Institution of Washington (now Carnegie Institution for Science) where he was a Carnegie Fellow from 1984 to 1986 working at the Geophysical Laboratory. His first permanent (tenure-track) appointment was to the University of Toronto as assistant professor. In 1987 he moved to the newly founded Bavarian Institute of Experimental Geochemistry and Geophysics (Bavarian Geo-institute) at the University of Bayreuth where he served as assistant to the founding Director Friedrich Seifert.