Knauss received a Bachelor of Science in meteorology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Master of Science from University of Michigan in physics, and a Doctor of Philosophy in oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California.
In 1962 he was appointed the Dean of the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island and served there until 1987. He served on a commission that led to the creation of National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration in 1970, and from 1989 to 1993 was its administrator. He resided in Saunderstown, Rhode Island and was professor emeritus at the University of Rhode Island.
In 2015, he died after a period of declining health.
