Sheila Rowan (born 25 November 1969) is a Scottish physicist and academic, who is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and director of its Institute for Gravitational Research since 2009.[3][4][5] She is known for her work in advancing the detection of gravitational waves. In 2016, Rowan was appointed the (part-time) Chief Scientific Advisor to the Scottish Government.[6]
After her PhD, Rowan's work was split between the University of Glasgow and the Edward Ginzton Laboratory at Stanford University.[5] Since 2003, she has been based solely in Glasgow, and in 2006 was appointed Professor of Experimental Physics. Rowan's research has focused on developing optical materials for use in gravitational wave detectors.[8] She led a team which worked on the international Laser InterferometerGravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) collaboration. This collaboration led in September 2015 to the detection of gravitational waves for the first time after Albert Einstein's prediction.[9]
In 2016, Rowan and her team contributed to the 2016 Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, for their work on the first detection of gravitational waves, which was announced in February 2016.[12]
In 2016, Rowan was among a team of researches to be awarded the President's Medal by the Royal Society of Edinburgh.[17][6]
Rowan was awarded a patent for silicon carbide bonding in 2010 by the European Patent Office. The patent covers a novel method for bonding silicon carbide components to themselves and to other materials.[21][22]
