While attending Uni, Knipp was an active member in multiple clubs. For his senior year, he wrote the class prophecy which was a play in the early Uni's yearbook. After graduating from Uni he went to the University of Illinois where he received a BA with honors. He then received his Ph.D. from Harvard. 

During his career, he taught and researched particle and nuclear physics extensively. He taught at many colleges including Purdue, Iowa State, and Tufts University where he was appointed the Chair of Physics. Besides teaching, he was also an accomplished researcher working at MIT's Radiation Laboratory and the United States Atomic Energy Commission. He passed away in 1990.

Sources:

• Gittleman, Sol. “The Department That Built a University.” Tufts Magazine. 
• “Julian Knipp Papers.” Tufts Digital Library
• “Knipp Julian D1.” Knipp Julian D1 | American Institute of Physics, 22 Oct. 2018