He studied at the University of Edinburgh, obtaining a BSc in Geology and Physical Geography and an MSc in Geographical Information Science. Prior to starting his PhD at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA), University College London, Prof. Crooks worked as a research and information officer for the social work department of Edinburgh City Council. His PhD thesis was entitled "Experimenting with Cities: Utilizing Agent-Based Models and GIS to Explore Urban Dynamics." This research investigated the potential of integrating GIS and agent-based models, thus providing the ability to link agents to actual "real" world places. The PhD was carried out under the supervision of Professor's Michael Batty and Paul Longley and sponsored by the Greater London Authority (GLA) Economics unit.