[2] He presently serves as senior vice president and chief research officer for Underwriters Laboratories Inc.[3] Cramer studied mathematics and chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

[5] Cramer served for four years as an officer in the U.S. Army Chemical Corps from 1988 to 1992, including combat duty in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.

Cramer oversaw one of the largest public-research programs in the United States,[7] managing the administration, planning, and regulation of nearly $1 billion in research projects across the entire University of Minnesota system, including economic and technical development, and interdisciplinary efforts involving transportation and the environment.

[15] He has also worked to increase public awareness and appreciation of science, and has been quoted in news articles and television reports as an expert on popular chemistry-related topics such as tear gas and pepper spray,[16][17] slime,[18] road salt,[19] and the persistence of particular smells.

[21][4] He has also written or edited several books, as follows: Cramer is married to University of Chicago chemistry professor Laura Gagliardi; the couple has three children from a prior marriage.