Dr. Crawford was appointed to the UBC Faculty of Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, where he has been a full professor since 1996. He moved to the Island Medical Program in 2004. Dr. Crawford teaches anatomy, histology and neuro-anatomy. He is active in teaching and overseeing the Gross Anatomy curriculum. He is known for his research in morphogenesis,and, with the Canadian Space Agency, investigating the effect of microgravity on development.

Recently, Dr. Crawford has had three research articles in prestigious journals including Zoology, the Canadian Journal of Zoology and the Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK.