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. She is known for her work in advancing the detection of gravitation waves. In 2016, Rowan was appointed the (part-time) Chief Scientific Advisor to the Scottish Government.
Education
Rowan was born on 25 November 1969 in
Dumfries
Dumfries ( ; sco, Dumfries; from gd, Dùn Phris ) is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is located near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth about by road from the ...
comprehensive school
A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...
gravitational wave
Gravitational waves are waves of the intensity of gravity generated by the accelerated masses of an orbital binary system that propagate as waves outward from their source at the speed of light. They were first proposed by Oliver Heaviside in 1 ...
s and was supervised by
James Hough
Sir James Hough (born 6 August 1945) is a British physicist and an international leader in the search for gravitational waves.
Career and research
Hough has held the following professional positions:
* Professor of experimental physics ...
.
Career
After her PhD, Rowan's work was split between the University of Glasgow and the Edward Ginzton Laboratory at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
. 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. She led a team which worked on the international Laser
Interferometer
Interferometry is a technique which uses the ''interference'' of superimposed waves to extract information. Interferometry typically uses electromagnetic waves and is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy, fiber op ...
Gravitational-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.
In June 2016, Rowan was seconded (part-time) to chief scientific advisor to the Scottish Government, a position vacant since December 2014, when Muffy Calder stood down. In June 2021 she stepped down from this role and became the President of the Institute of Physics, taking up her post on 1 October 2021. She was succeeded by Julie FitzPatrick who took up the post of Scotland's Chief Scientific Adviser on 14 June 2021.
Philip Leverhulme Prize
The Philip Leverhulme Prize is awarded by the Leverhulme Trust to recognise the achievement of outstanding researchers whose work has already attracted international recognition and whose future career is exceptionally promising. The prize schem ...
for Astronomy and Astrophysics in 2005, elected a
Fellow of the Institute of Physics
Fellowship of the Institute of Physics (FInstP) is "the highest level of membership attainable" by physicists who are members of the Institute of Physics (IoP), "for those with a degree in physics or related subject (or equivalent knowledge gaine ...
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...
in 2012. She was awarded the
Fred Hoyle Medal and Prize
The Fred Hoyle Medal and Prize was established in 2008 by the Institute of Physics of London for distinguished contributions to astrophysics, gravitational physics or cosmology. The medal is named after astronomer Fred Hoyle who formulated the th ...
of the Institute of Physics in 2016 in recognition of her pioneering research on aspects of the technology of gravitational wave observatories.
* 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.
* In 2016, Rowan was among a team of researches to be awarded the President's Medal by the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
* In 2017, Rowan won the Suffrage Science award
* In July 2019, Rowan was elected to the role of president-elect by the Institute of Physics. She took up the post of President on 1 October 2021.
*In 2020, Rowan won the
Sir Harold Hartley
Brigadier-General Sir Harold Brewer Hartley (3 September 1878 – 9 September 1972) was a British physical chemist. He moved from academia to important positions in business and industry, including serving as Chairman of the British Overseas A ...
2021 New Year Honours
The 2021 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebration ...
for services to science.
Patents
* 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.