To hear a recording of this lecture:  

Gravitational Waves are amongst the most elusive signals from our Universe reaching the earth – ‘ripples in the curvature of space-time’. The information carried by these signals will give us new insight into the hearts of some of the most violent events in the Cosmos – from black holes to the beginning of the Universe. A global network of gravitational wave detectors is now operational with early results showing promise. The nature of gravitational waves, how the detectors work and what the data from the detectors can tell us about the Universe we inhabit will be discussed. 

Professor Sheila Rowan is Director of the Institute for Gravitational Research in Glasgow, where she leads a group of around 50 researchers developing detectors and signal analysis methods to search for gravitational waves from astrophysical sources. 

She was awarded a Leverhulme Prize for Astronomy and Astrophysics in 2005 in recognition of the international impact of her research, appointed to Fellowship of the Institute of Physics in 2006, and elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2008. 

She has been a member of the Science Committee for Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics (PPAN), of the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council since 2007 and in 2009 became Deputy Chair. She is currently an invited member of the ASPERA Science Advisory Committee, responsible for advising European Funding Agencies on their strategy for particle-astrophysics.