Brian Cox (physicist)
Brian Cox | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1968 |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | LHC, D:Ream |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Particle Physics |
Brian Cox, also known as B. E. Cox (born 1968, Oldham, Lancashire, England),[1][2] is a particle physicist, a Royal Society research fellow, and a professor at the University of Manchester. He is a member of the High Energy Physics group at the University of Manchester, and works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. He is also working on the FP420 R&D project in an international collaboration to upgrade the ATLAS and the CMS experiment by installing additional, smaller detectors at a distance of 420 meters from the interaction points of the main experiments.[3]
Studies and career in music
In 1986 Cox was invited to join a local rock band called Dare as keyboard player. They recorded 2 albums and toured worldwide with Jimmy Page, Gary Moore, Europe and others. Dare broke up in 1992 and Cox left music to study physics.
After attending Hulme Grammar School in Oldham he studied Physics at the University of Manchester where in 1993, whilst still studying, he joined D:Ream,[4], a band with three top-ten singles on the UK charts, including a number one hit, New Labour election anthem "Things Can Only Get Better".[5] By the time D:Ream disbanded in 1997, Cox had earned a first class honours degree in physics from the University of Manchester, where he was later awarded a PhD in high energy particle physics, based on his thesis drawn from work he did for the H1 experiment at the particle accelerator HERA at the DESY laboratory in Hamburg.[6]
Academic and television
Cox has received many awards for his efforts to publicise science. In 2002 he was elected an International Fellow of the Explorers Club and in 2006 Cox received the British Association Lord Kelvin Award for this work. A frequent lecturer, he was keynote speaker at the Australian Science Festival in 2006.
Cox is also known for his involvement in science programmes for BBC radio and television, including In Einstein's Shadow,[7] the BBC Horizon series[8] ("Large Hadron Collider and the Big Bang" and "What On Earth Is Wrong With Gravity") and for voiceovers on the BBC's Bitesize revision programmes. Cox was the science adviser for the sci-fi movie Sunshine and was featured on the Discovery Channel special Megaworld: Switzerland. He also gives regular lectures on the LHC.
He also made the news after saying "Anyone who thinks the LHC will destroy the world is a twat.”, in response to death threats Scientists had been recieving.
Personal life
Cox is married to TV personality Gia Milinovich, and has a stepson.[9]
References
- ^ British Council, UK Achiever - Brian Cox, Issue 14, Volume 7, retrieved 6 September 2008
- ^ Oldham Advertiser, "Things have only got better for Brian", 11 April 2007, retrieved 6 September 2008
- ^ FP420 R&D Project, FP420, 16 October 2007, retrieved 6 September 2008
- ^ Courier Mail, "Rock star's new frontier" [dead link], 9 August 2006, unable to retrieve on 6 September 2008
- ^ everyHit.com, UK top 40 hit database (search result for D:Ream), done 6 September 2008
- ^ apolloschildren.com, Professor Brian Cox (with downloadable postscript file), retrieved 6 September 2008
- ^ bbc.co.uk, In Einstein's shadow, January 2005, retrieved 6 September 2008
- ^ Sue Rider Management, Professor Brian Cox, retrieved 6 September 2008
- ^ Hunt-Grubbe, Charlotte, "A life in the day: Dr Brian Cox", Sunday Times, 24 February 2008, retrieved 6 September 2008