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Brian Cox (physicist)

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Brian Cox
Brian Cox speaking at The Royal Institution in November 2009
Born (1968-03-03) 3 March 1968 (age 56)
Oldham, Lancashire, UK
NationalityBritish
Alma materUniversity of Manchester
Known forATLAS, D:Ream
SpouseGia Milinovich
Scientific career
FieldsParticle physics
InstitutionsUniversity of Manchester
CERN

Brian Edward "B. E." Cox, OBE (born 3 March 1968) is a British particle physicist, a Royal Society University 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, near Geneva, Switzerland. He is also working on the R&D project of the FP420 experiment in an international collaboration to upgrade the ATLAS and the CMS experiment by installing additional, smaller detectors at a distance of 420 metres (1,380 ft) from the interaction points of the main experiments.[2]

He is best known to the public as the presenter of a number of science programmes for the BBC. He also had some fame in the 1980s as the keyboard player in the rock band Dare and in the early 1990s with the Irish pop band D:Ream.

Studies and career in music

In 1988, Cox was a member of the rock band Dare,[3] fronted by former Thin Lizzy member Darren Wharton.

After attending Hulme Grammar School in Oldham from 1979 to 1986[4] he studied physics at the University of Manchester where in 1993, while still studying, he joined D:Ream,[5] who had several hits in the UK charts, including the number one, "Things Can Only Get Better",[6] later used as a New Labour election anthem. During his music career he subsequently obtained an undergraduate first class honours degree and M.Phil. degree both in physics from the University of Manchester. A year after D:Ream disbanded in 1997, Cox was awarded his Ph.D. degree in high energy particle physics at the same university, based on his thesis drawn from work he did for the H1 experiment at the HERA particle accelerator at the DESY laboratory in Hamburg.[7]

Academic, television and radio

A Brian Cox
Brian Cox at Science Foo Camp in 2008.

Cox is known for his involvement in science programmes for BBC radio and television, including In Einstein's Shadow,[8] the BBC Horizon series[9] ("The Six Billion Dollar Experiment", "What on Earth is Wrong with Gravity," "Do You Know What Time It Is?" and "Can we Make a Star on Earth?") and for voiceovers on the BBC's Bitesize revision programmes. Cox was the science advisor for the science fiction film Sunshine and was featured on the Discovery Channel special Megaworld: Switzerland. In March and April 2010, Cox presented a five-part BBC television series entitled Wonders of the Solar System.[10] He also co-presents the CBBC channel's Space Hoppers.[11]

Cox confirmed that the BBC had commissioned a follow-up series to Wonders of the Solar System and that it would be called Universal. Filming began on 10 May 2010; two days earlier, Cox announced via his Twitter page that the series had become Wonders of the Universe to keep it in line with the title of the earlier series. BBC Two commissioned Cox to copresent Stargazing, a three day live astronomy series in January 2011 - to be co-presented with physicist-turned-comedian Dara Ó Briain and featuring chat show host Jonathan Ross[12] — linked to events across the UK.[13]

Since November 2009, Cox has co-presented a BBC Radio 4 'comedy science magazine'[14] programme, The Infinite Monkey Cage with comedian Robin Ince. The programme, in a Monday 4.30pm slot, ended its third series on 6 December 2010[15] and it is due to return in May 2011.[16] Guests have included comedians Tim Minchin, Alexei Sayle, Dara Ó Briain and scientists including Dr Alice Roberts of the BBC show The Incredible Human Journey. Cox also appeared in Ince's Nine Lessons and Carols for Godless People. Cox is a regular contributor to the BBC 6 Music Breakfast Show with Shaun Keaveny, with a weekly feature. Cox appeared on the 24 July 2009 episode of Robert Llewellyn's CarPool podcast series.[17]

Cox has also appeared numerous times at TED, giving talks on the LHC and particle physics.[18] In 2009 he appeared in People magazine's Sexiest Men Alive.[19] In 2010 he was featured in The Case for Mars by Symphony of Science. In November 2010 he made a promotional appearance in the Covent Garden Apple Store, talking about his new iBook set to accompany his new TV series as well as answering audience questions.[20]

Cox gave the Royal Television Society's 2010 Huw Wheldon Memorial Lecture on Science — a Challenge to TV Orthodoxy, in which he examined problems in media coverage of science and news about science. It was broadcast on BBC Two on 1 December 2010.

in January 2011 Cox hosted the BBC show Stargazing Live with Dara Ó Briain.

He will be giving the Ninth Douglas Adams Memorial Lecture on Thursday 10 March 2011.[21]

Honours and awards

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, and in 2010 won the Institute of Physics Kelvin Prize for his work in communicating the appeal and excitement of physics to the general public.[22] Cox was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 Birthday Honours for services to science.[23][24]

Personal life

Cox married American film blogger and producer Gia Milinovich in 2004. Their first child, George, was born on 26 May 2009.[25] Milinovich herself also has a son from a previous relationship.[26]

References

  1. ^ "Professor Brian Cox: 'We don't know what 96% of the universe is made of – we don't understand something fundamental'". The Guardian. London. 7 March 2010.
  2. ^ FP420 R&D Project, FP420, 16 October 2007, retrieved 6 September 2008
  3. ^ "A Life in the Day: Dr Brian Cox". The Times. 24 February 2008. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
  4. ^ http://www.hulme-grammar.oldham.sch.uk/news/view/congratulations_to_professor_brian_cox_obe
  5. ^ Caspar Llewellyn Smith (4 April 2010). "Brian Cox: The man with the stars in his eyes". The Observer. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  6. ^ UK top 40 hit database, EveryHit.co.uk (search result for D:Ream), done 6 September 2008
  7. ^ Professor Brian Cox, ApollosChildren.com (with downloadable postscript file), retrieved 6 September 2008
  8. ^ In Einstein's shadow, BBC, January 2005, retrieved 6 September 2008.
  9. ^ Sue Rider Management, Professor Brian Cox, retrieved 6 September 2008
  10. ^ Wonders of the Solar System, retrieved 4 April 2010
  11. ^ Space Hoppers, retrieved 4 April 2010
  12. ^ Ross returns to BBC for Stargazing series, Catherine Neilan, Broadcast, 25 November 2010
  13. ^ Speech by Saul Nassé, head of BBC Learning, 27 September 2010, retrieved 6 December 2010.
  14. ^ Live chat: science fiction vs science fact..., Steve Bowbrick, BBC Radio 4 blog, 28 June 2010, retrieved 6 July 2010.
  15. ^ Philosophy, BBC website, retrieved 6 December 2010.
  16. ^ On-air announcement on Radio 4, 6 December 2010.
  17. ^ CarPool, Brian Cox on CarPool, 24 July 2009, retrieved 19 September 2009.
  18. ^ Brian Cox, TED, retrieved 6 January 2011.
  19. ^ ATLAS physicist voted sexiest in the world, February 2009
  20. ^ Landmark Apple Store Event for Professor Cox, press release from HarperCollins, 24 November 2010, retrieved 6 December 2010.
  21. ^ Save the Rhino, retrieved 5 January 2011.
  22. ^ 2010 Kelvin medal and prize
  23. ^ "No. 59446". The London Gazette (invalid |supp= (help)). 12 June 2010.
  24. ^ "Professor Brian 'chuffed' with OBE". The Sun. 12 June 2010..
  25. ^ http://twitter.com/giagia/status/1922310447
  26. ^ Smith, David (2008-09-14). "Putting the fizz into physics". The Observer. Retrieved 2008-09-14.

A portrait of Professor Cox hangs in Mr Thomas's chop House in Manchester as part of a art exhibition.

External links

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