fox received a starred first class degree in history of art from emmanuel college, cambridge. he then undertook an mphil on british modernism, and a phd on history of art entitled "business unusual: art in britain during the first world war, 1914–18", both at the university of cambridge and funded by the ahrc. in 2009 he was appointed as a research fellow at churchill college, cambridge. he joined gonville and caius college in 2010.