Cranos Williams
He/Him/His
Biography
Research Interests: I am currently the director of the EnBiSys Research Laboratory. The EnBiSys Lab is a highly collaborative, multidisciplinary research laboratory, focused on the development of targeted computational and analytical solutions for modeling and controlling biological systems. The solutions we develop are used to build and strengthen the transition from large-scale high-throughput –omics data to highly connected kinetic models in the post-genomic era; models that can be used to attain the depth, understanding, and comprehension needed to manipulate and control biological systems for a defined purpose.
Specific interests in this field include:
- Nonlinear Systems Analysis
- System Identification
- Uncertainty Analysis
- Optimal Experimental Design
- Biological Signal and Data Processing
Patents: S. Chen, L. Ray, N. Cahill, M. Goodgame, and C. Williams, “Method of Image Registration using Mutual Information,” U.S. Patent 7,263,243, Aug. 28, 2007.
Education
-
Ph.D.
2008
Electrical Engineering
North Carolina State University, Raleigh -
Master's
2002
Electrical Engineering
North Carolina State University, Raleigh -
Bachelor's
2001
Electrical Engineering
NC A&T State University, Greensboro
Research Focus
- Bioelectronics Engineering
- Communications and Signal Processing
Funded Research
- DSFAS-AI: Agricultural DECision Intelligence moDEling System for huMan-AI collaboRative acTion Elicitation and impRovement (DECIDE-SMARTER)
- Systems-level Measurements of Biophysical Parameters in the Dorsal/NF-κajppaB Pathway
- Improving Crop Productivity and Value Through Heterogeneous Data Integration, Analytics, and Decision Support Platforms
- Systems-level measurements of biophysical parameters in the Dorsal/NF-kappaB pathway
- Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Rapid Innovations in SystEms Engineering and Agricultural Sustainability (RiseEnAg)
- Natural Variation and Systems-Level Properties of Gene Regulation in Drosophila
- Collaborative Research: Modeling The Regulatory Network Of Inositol Phosphate Signaling In Plants.
- CREATIV Dynamic Regulatory Modeling of the Iron Deficiency Response in Arabidopsis thaliana
Highlighted Awards
Awards & Honors
- 2021 - Alumni Association Outstanding Research Award, Induction into Research Leadership Academy
- 2019 - Selected for National Academy of Engineering, Frontiers of Engineering Symposium
- 2019 - Alcoa Foundation Research Achievement Award
- 2013 - ECE William F. Lane Teaching Award
- 2009-2010 - Faculty Research and Professional Development Award
- 2003-2008 - National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
Recent News

Cranos Williams Named Goodnight Distinguished Professor
Posted on March 23, 2022 | Filed Under: Faculty
NC State faculty member Cranos Williams was recently named a Goodnight Distinguished Professor in Agricultural Analytics by the College of Engineering and CALS.

Introducing NC State’s Newest Outstanding Researchers
Posted on March 16, 2021 | Filed Under: Awards
Congratulations to Cranos Williams, recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Research Award for his interdisciplinary research and teaching.

Cranos Williams named Platform Director for Data-Driven Plant Sciences
Posted on November 19, 2020 | Filed Under: Faculty
Cranos Williams, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been named the director of the Data-Driven Plant Sciences platform for the North Carolina Plant Sciences Initiative
Recent Media Mentions

Computational tool offers new insight into key biological processes
March 10, 2014
NC State researchers have developed a computational tool designed to guide future research on biochemical pathways that govern a host of biological processes. Cranos Williams, electrical and computer engineering, featured.
Recent Publications
- Identification of Transcription Factors Regulating SARS-CoV-2 Tropism Factor Expression by Inferring Cell-Type-Specific Transcriptional Regulatory Networks in Human Lungs (2022)
- Practical spectral photography II: snapshot spectral imaging using linear retarders and microgrid polarization cameras (2022)
- A multiscale model of lignin biosynthesis for predicting bioenergy traits in Populus trichocarpa (2021)
- Computer vision approach to characterize size and shape phenotypes of horticultural crops using high-throughput imagery (2021)
- Enzyme Complexes of Ptr4CL and PtrHCT Modulate Co-enzyme A Ligation of Hydroxycinnamic Acids for Monolignol Biosynthesis in Populus trichocarpa (2021)
- High-throughput image segmentation and machine learning approaches in the plant sciences across multiple scales (2021)
- Internal defect scanning of sweetpotatoes using interactance spectroscopy (2021)
- Multiscale Modeling of Cross-Regulatory Transcript and Protein Influences (2021)
- Snapshot spectral imaging using Solc-based multivariate optical filters and pixelated polarization cameras (2021)
- BioVision Tracker: A semi-automated image analysis software for spatiotemporal gene expression tracking in Arabidopsis thaliana (2020)