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.

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 Interferometer 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.

[9] In June 2016, Rowan was seconded (part-time) to chief scientific advisor to the Scottish Government,[10] a position vacant since December 2014, when Muffy Calder stood down.