Dr. Crawford received a B.Sc. double major in chemistry/biochemistry from the University of Victoria in 1991. He then pursued graduate studies in chemistry with Claude Spino, studying the synthesis of the steroid ring skeleton, and received a Ph.D. in 1996. Following his graduation, Jason did postdoctoral research at the Ohio State University, studying the synthesis of the natural product vinigrol under the supervision of Leo A. Paquette. Jason then worked at Microcide Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Mountain View, California) as a senior scientist, medicinal chemistry, developing novel antibacterial agents. In 1999, Jason returned to British Columbia to work at AnorMED Inc., initially as a medicinal chemist, and eventually as the manager of the development chemistry group, where he oversaw the synthetic development of all lead and candidate compounds intended for use in preclinical and clinical trials. Notably, for the Mozobil drug substance, Jason oversaw the technical transfer of the process to a contract research organization, subsequent clinical manufacture, and eventual validation of the manufacturing process for commercial use.