Brian Cox has been involved in research allied to medicine during his entire academic career. Firstly, he was researching diabetes at Guy's Hospital, which continued following his appointment as University Lecturer at Cambridge. His interests broadened to look at the relationship of lifestyle behaviours to other diseases, including cardio-vascular disease and cancer. In 1984/5 he became Director of the Health & Lifestyle Survey, the first representative nationwide survey in the UK, a position that he still holds as records of death and cancer of the survey respondents continue to be received.
Outside interests are genealogy, local history, skiing, Parish Council and playing in a jazz group.