John Knowles received his PhD from Rochester in 1999. He is currently Professor of Economics at the University of Southampton School of Social Sciences. He was previously Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also served as a consultant for the US Department of Justice with regards to the measurement of racial bias in policing.

He has published papers on various aspects of the role of the family in macro-economics, including bargaining, fertility, marriage and divorce. In addition, he has published articles on the economics of racial profiling. His articles have appeared in the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, Quarterly Journal of Economics, International Economic Review, Economic Journal, and the Review of Economic Dynamics.

He was an IZA Research Fellow from January 2007 until October 2016.