Justin Marlowe is a Research Professor at the University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy, where he also serves as Director of the Harris School's Center for Municipal Finance. He is also a Fellow at the National Academy of Public Administration and the Center for Digital Government.

His research on public finance has appeared in the leading scholarly journals in public finance, public policy, governmental accounting, public health, health care administration, transportation finance, and other fields. He currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Municipal Finance Journal, and he was previously Editor-in-Chief of Public Budgeting & Finance.

Professor Marlowe has written four books and dozens of articles on a wide range of topics including: the structure of the municipal bond market, the cost of basic local public health services, the optimal size of local government "rainy day" funds, and "socially responsible" investing by public pension funds, among many others. His research has won several best article awards and has been supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Government Finance Officers Association, and many other philanthropies and professional associations.

Outside the University, Professor Marlowe routinely works as an expert witness and consultant for clients across the public and private sectors. He is also a columnist for Government Finance Review, and was previously a columnist for Governing magazine. His popular Guide to Financial Literacy series for state and local government officials is used in training curricula for elected officials around the US.

Prior to academia he worked in local government in Michigan. He is a Certified Government Financial Manager, and he holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a B.S. and MPA from Northern Michigan University.