2012, Cox was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Huddersfield, presented by Sir Patrick Stewart. Later that year, he was awarded the Institute of Physics President's medal by Sir Peter Knight, following which he gave a speech on the value of education in science and the need to invest more in future generations of scientists. On 5 October 2012 Cox was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Open University for his "Exceptional contribution to Education and Culture". In 2012 he also was awarded the Michael Faraday Prize of the Royal Society "for his excellent work in science communication." He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2016. Political views Cox has voiced his concerns about Brexit saying he feels it is a "weakening of our interaction with our neighbouring countries" and that "it cannot be the right trajectory." On 23 June 2018, the People's Vote march was held in London to mark the second anniversary of the referendum to leave the European Union. Cox tweeted that, "if [a people's vote were] held on known exit terms and leave commanded majority, I'd back it as settled, informed decision. That's my argument for having one." Cox has called for the term "the British people" to be banned from political discourse, calling the term's usage by government officials "inflammatory and divisive". Personal life In 2003, Cox married U.S. science presenter Gia Milinovich in Duluth, Minnesota. They have a son born in 2009, and Milinovich has a son from a previous relationship. The family currently lives in Battersea. Cox has rejected the label atheist and has stated he has "no personal faith". In 2009, he contributed to the charity book The Atheist's Guide to Christmas. He is a humanist, and is a Distinguished Supporter of Humanists UK. In June 2019, Cox explained that he cannot be sure there is no God and that science cannot answer every question. Cox is a supporter of the Football club Oldham Athletic and has held a season ticket at the club. References External links Prof Brian Cox on Mastodon 1968 births Academics of the University of Manchester Alumni of the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology British transhumanists Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Fellows of the Explorers Club Fellows of the Royal Society English humanists English physicists English pop musicians English rock keyboardists English television presenters Living people