Brian Cox

Author and science communicator

Brian Cox obtained a first class honors degree in physics from the University of Manchester in 1995 and in 1998 a Ph.D. in High Energy Particle Physics at the DESY laboratory in Hamburg. He is now Professor of Particle Physics at the University of Manchester, The Royal Society Professor for Public Engagement in Science and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Brian is widely recognized as the foremost communicator for all things scientific, having presented a number of highly acclaimed science programs for the BBC watched by billions internationally including ‘Adventures in Space and Time’ (2021), ‘Universe’ (2021), ‘The Planets’ (2018), ‘Forces of Nature’ (2016), ‘Human Universe’ (2014), ‘Wonders of Life’ (2012), ‘Wonders of the Universe’ (2011) and ‘Wonders of the Solar System’ (2010).

As an author, Brian has also sold over a million books worldwide including ‘Black Holes’, ‘Universal: A Guide to the Cosmos’, ‘Quantum Universe’ and ‘Why Does E=mc2?’ with co-author Professor Jeffrey Forshaw. He has set several world records for his sell-out live tours, including his most recent tour Horizons which has taken in venues across the globe.

Everything Videos Articles

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The Big Think Interview

Why alien civilizations may bloom and die unseen

Brian Cox examines why, despite billions of stars and trillions of planets, we have found no evidence of other intelligent life.

A digitally rendered black hole with a dark center and a glowing, distorted ring of light surrounding it.

The Big Think Interview

Brian Cox: The bizarre history of black holes

"Could black holes be the key to a quantum theory of gravity, a deeper theory of how reality, of how space and time works? Well, I think so."

A man sits on a stool in front of a white backdrop with a black circle behind his head, surrounded by colorful, nebula-like clouds.

Are black holes the key to unlocking a quantum theory of gravity?

“Could black holes be the key to a quantum theory of gravity, a deeper theory of how reality, of how space and time works?”

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The Big Think Interview

Brian Cox: The Planck scale is where physics breaks

"It's a very, very beautiful calculation, but it's the best example I know of the relationship between these rather abstract quantities perhaps and something that you can look at in a telescope."

An astronaut in a spacesuit stands facing a large red planet or celestial body with a glowing edge against a black background.

The Big Think Interview

Brian Cox: Why Earth’s orbit is the new Wild West and what that means for us all

“We are beginning to take our first steps out into the cosmic ocean… and the water seems inviting.”

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The quantum roots of reality

“We don't have enough knowledge to precisely calculate what is going to happen, and so we assign probabilities to it, which reflects our ignorance of the situation.”

A human hand appears to hold a glowing celestial object surrounded by small planets and stars, creating the illusion of a miniature universe in the palm.

The Big Think Interview

Brian Cox: The incomprehensible scales that rule the Universe

"We are all in orbit around the center of the Milky Way galaxy. How big is this collection of stars? Somewhere between 200 and 400 billion suns in the Milky Way galaxy, about 100,000 light years across."

Two luminous circles connected by a glowing blue wave on a dark background, creating a sense of energy and motion.

The Big Think Interview

Physicist Brian Cox explains quantum physics in 22 minutes

"Quantum mechanics and quantum entanglement are becoming very real. We're beginning to be able to access this tremendously complicated configuration space to do useful things."

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A 7-minute guide to the relationship between quantum mechanics and black holes

“You’re not meant to understand what I just said, because I don’t understand what I just said…” Physicist Brian Cox on one of the most complex theories in space science.

The Big Think Interview

Einstein, Hawking, and the conceptual problem of black holes

When black holes disappear, what happens to the stuff that fell in? Physicist Brian Cox explains.

An ufo flying over a forest.

Explain It Like I’m Smart

Why haven’t we found aliens? A physicist shares the most popular theories

There are a few theories as to why we’ve never found other intelligent life in our Universe. Physicist Brian Cox walks us through them.

an astronaut contemplates a black hole

Why black holes unlock the quantum majesty of the Universe

That scary swirling void from which nothing can escape is our perfect universal translation tool.

Brian Cox & Jeff Forshaw

Learn from the world's biggest thinkers.

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