Sharon Morsink

Sharon Morsink is an Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Alberta, specializing in Relativistic Astrophysics. She holds a B.Sc. (Honours Physics) from the University of Waterloo (1991) and a Ph.D. (Theoretical Physics) from the University of Alberta (1997). Prior to her faculty position, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1997–1999). Her academic leadership roles include serving as Associate Chair (Graduate Studies) from 2007 to 2013 and teaching courses such as Astro 430: Physical Cosmology (Winter 2015).

Her research focuses on relativistic effects in astrophysical systems, particularly neutron stars and black holes. Key areas include gravitational radiation from compact objects, frame-dragging effects, and the dynamics of accretion disks. She explores phenomena like neutron star oscillations, instabilities driven by gravitational radiation, and the interplay between general relativity and observational data from X-ray telescopes.

Her work often integrates advanced numerical simulations and analytical techniques, with applications to interpreting observations from missions like NICER and XMM-Newton. Morsink has contributed to understanding the structure of black hole interiors and the role of relativistic physics in astrophysical phenomena.