He was appointed a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, that year, after passing its examination; he was then appointed a junior research fellow there in 1971 and then senior research fellow seven years later. Briggs remained in that post until retiring and being appointed an emeritus fellow at All Souls in 2009. From 1976 to 2009, he also lectured for the University of Oxford, and was junior proctor in the 1972–73 year.[1][2]
His research interests include the history of witchcraft in Europe and other aspects of early modern European history (especially politics, society and religion, and the history of early modern France and the French Catholic Church).[1][2][3]