Sheila Rowan (physicist)

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 gravitational waves. In 2016, Rowan was appointed the (part-time) Chief Scientific Advisor to the Scottish Government. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Institute of Physics, and the Royal Society. She has been awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize for Astronomy and Astrophysics, and the Fred Hoyle Medal and Prize. She was appointed MBE in 2011 and promoted to CBE in 2021.