Brian Cox (physicist) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brian Cox CBE FRS
Cox in 2016
Born	(1968-03-03) 3 March 1968 (age 57) Oldham, England
Education	University of Manchester (BSc, PhD)
Known for	Why Does E=mc2? The Quantum Universe Wonders of Life Wonders of the Universe Wonders of the Solar System The Planets Human Universe Stargazing Live D:Ream Dare
Spouse(s)	Gia Milinovich ​ (m. 2003)​
Children	1
Awards	Kelvin Prize (2010) Michael Faraday Prize (2012) University Research Fellow (2005)
Scientific career
Fields	Particle physics
Institutions	University of Manchester CERN DESY
Thesis	Double diffraction dissociation at large momentum transfer (1998)
Doctoral advisor	Robin Marshall
Doctoral students	Tamsin Edwards

Brian Edward Cox (born March 3, 1968) is a famous English physicist and musician. He is a professor of particle physics at the University of Manchester. He also helps the public understand science as a Royal Society Professor. Many people know him from his science TV shows, like the Wonders of... series on BBC. He has also written popular science books, such as Why Does E=mc²? and The Quantum Universe.

Before becoming a scientist, Brian Cox was a keyboard player. He played in the British bands Dare and D:Ream. Some people say he is the perfect person to present science shows for the BBC.

Early Life and Education

Brian Cox was born on March 3, 1968, in Oldham, England. He lived in nearby Chadderton from 1971. He has a younger sister. His parents worked at a bank. He remembers a happy childhood. He enjoyed activities like dancing, gymnastics, and watching planes and buses. He went to Hulme Grammar School in Oldham from 1979 to 1986.

Brian Cox has often said that a book called Cosmos by Carl Sagan inspired him. He was 12 years old when he read it. This book made him want to become a physicist. He has mentioned that he did not do well in his maths A-level exam. He learned that practice is very important.

Music Career

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Brian Cox was a keyboard player in the rock band Dare. They released two albums with him. Later, he joined the dance music group D:Ream. This group had several hit songs in the UK. Brian Cox was a big fan of the band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. He wrote the introduction for their official biography. He said their songs helped shape him and inspired him to make music.

Brian Cox still plays music sometimes. In 2015, he played keyboards with the band New Order. In 2022, he performed a song with Andy McCluskey from Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. In June 2024, he played with D:Ream at the Glastonbury Festival.

University Studies

Brian Cox studied physics at the University of Manchester. He did this while also having his music career. In 1991, he earned his first degree in physics with top honors. After D:Ream broke up in 1997, he finished his PhD. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in high-energy particle physics in 1998. His research was about how particles break apart. He did this research at a particle accelerator in Germany.

Science Career and Research

Brian Cox is a particle physicist at the University of Manchester. He worked on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The LHC is a huge machine at CERN in Switzerland. He has also held special research positions.

Cox has written several books about physics with Jeff Forshaw. These include Why does E=mc²? and The Quantum Universe. He has also guided several students who were getting their PhDs.

Science Broadcasting

Brian Cox at Science Foo Camp in 2008

Brian Cox has appeared in many science shows for BBC radio and television. He was in the BBC Horizon series. He also did voice-overs for the BBC's Bitesize learning programs. In 2010, he presented a five-part TV series called Wonders of the Solar System. A follow-up series, Wonders of the Universe, started in 2011. In 2013, he presented Wonders of Life. He described it as a physicist's view on life and nature.

He also presented a three-part BBC series called Science Britannica. In this show, he explored the contributions of British scientists. He also looked at how the public views science in Britain.

BBC Two asked Brian Cox to co-present Stargazing Live. This was a three-day live astronomy series that started in January 2011. He presented it with comedian Dara Ó Briain. They had many guests over several series.

Since 2009, Brian Cox has co-presented a BBC Radio 4 show. It is a "comedy science magazine programme" called The Infinite Monkey Cage. He hosts it with comedian Robin Ince. Many famous comedians and scientists have been guests on the show.

Brian Cox has also given talks at TED events. He talked about the LHC and particle physics. In 2010, he was part of The Case for Mars by Symphony of Science. He also gave a lecture in 2010 about how science is shown on TV.

Cox in 2025 at The Economist Technology for Change Asia

Brian Cox was a science advisor for the science fiction movie Sunshine. On the DVD, he talks about how accurate the science in the film is. In 2013, he presented another series of Wonders of Life.

In November 2013, BBC Two showed The Science of Doctor Who. This was to celebrate Doctor Who's 50th anniversary. In this show, Brian Cox explored the mysteries of time travel. The BBC later broadcast Human Universe and Forces of Nature, also presented by Cox.

In July 2014, Brian Cox appeared on stage with the comedy group Monty Python. He was part of their final live show. He also appeared in a documentary about them. In 2017, he voiced a character in the children's TV show Postman Pat. He played a space expert named Professor Ryan Farrow.

Filmography

Discography

• Dare – Out of the Silence (1988)
• Dare – Blood from Stone (1991)
• D:Ream – D:Ream on Volume 1 (1993)
• D:Ream – In Memory Of... (2011)

Books Written

• Why Does E=mc²? (And Why Should We Care?) (with Jeff Forshaw) (2009)
• Wonders of the Solar System (with Andrew Cohen) (2010)
• Wonders of the Universe (with Andrew Cohen) (2011)
• The Quantum Universe (And Why Anything That Can Happen, Does) with Jeff Forshaw (2011)
• Wonders of Life: Exploring the Most Extraordinary Phenomenon in the Universe (with Andrew Cohen) (2013)
• Human Universe (with Andrew Cohen) (2014)
• Forces of Nature (with Andrew Cohen) (2016)
• Universal: A Guide to the Cosmos (with Jeff Forshaw) (2016)
• Black Holes: The Key to Understanding the Universe (with Jeff Forshaw) (2022)

Awards and Recognitions

Brian Cox has received many awards for making science popular. In 2006, he won the British Association's Lord Kelvin Award for this work. He also held a special research fellowship from the Royal Society from 2006 to 2013. In 2010, he won the Institute of Physics Kelvin Medal and Prize. This was for his great work in sharing the excitement of physics with everyone.

He was honored by the Queen in 2010 and again in 2020. These honors were for his services to promoting science.

In March 2011, he won 'Best Presenter' from the Royal Television Society. His show Wonders of the Universe also won 'Best Science/Natural History programme'. He also won 'Best Performer' at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards. His show Wonders of the Solar System was named the best documentary series of 2010.

In 2012, he received an honorary degree from the University of Huddersfield. Later that year, he was given the President's medal by the Institute of Physics. He spoke about how important science education is. He also received an honorary degree from the Open University. In 2012, he won the Michael Faraday Prize from the Royal Society. This was for his excellent work in science communication. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2016. In 2022, he received the Hawking Fellowship from the Cambridge Union.

Personal Life

In 2003, Brian Cox married Gia Milinovich, who is a TV presenter and writer. They have a son, born in 2009. Gia also has a son from a previous relationship. They live in London.

Brian Cox does not believe in gods, but he prefers to say he has "no personal faith." He is a humanist and supports Humanists UK. In 2019, he explained that science cannot answer every question. He said he cannot be completely sure there is no God.

Brian Cox is a fan of the football club Oldham Athletic. He has a season ticket to watch their games.

See also

In Spanish: Brian Cox (físico) para niños