He received a Master of Arts degree in coalescent theory[8] and network estimation of gene genealogies[9] (statistics) from Washington University in St. Louis in 1992.
Crandall then held the Alfred P. Sloan and National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships at the University of Texas, studying molecular evolution under advisors Jim Bull and David Hillis, between 1993 and 1996.
In 1996, Crandall joined the faculty of the Department of Zoology at Brigham Young University as an assistant professor, where he served until 2002.
[18] Crandall studies the computational biology, population genetics, and bioinformatics of a variety of organisms, from crustaceans to agents of infectious diseases.
Crandall has published over 300 peer reviewed publications,[19] as well as three books (The Evolution of HIV,[20] Algorithms in Bioinformatics,[21] and Decapod Crustacean Phylogenetics[22]).