Nidia Morrell studied astronomy at the National University of La Plata (UNLP), obtaining a licentiate in 1977 and a doctorate in 1984.
She received a postdoctoral fellowship (1989–1990) sponsored by the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) to conduct research in the United States, advised by Helmut Altrichter at the Kitt Peak National Observatory.
Back in Argentina, she researched and taught at the UNLP Faculty of Astronomical and Geophysical Sciences.

She focused her work on young (mostly O-type and Wolf-Rayet) stars, in regions of star formation and binary stars of large masses, also called massive stars.
That type of star quickly consumes its fuel, and ends its existence with a giant explosion: a supernova.

In La Plata, Morrell was a member of the Massive Stars research group led by Virpi Niemelä.
She and Niemelä were part of the Hubble Heritage Project, which generated widely disseminated educational resources.
From 1996 to 2001, Morrell was a representative of Argentina and a scientific advisor to the Gemini South Observatory.

For years she was one of the main users of the Jorge Sahade Telescope at the Leoncito Astronomical Complex (CASLEO).
Many students, who are now astronomers and teachers, made their first observations with her at El Leoncito.

In late 2002, Morrell joined the scientific team at Las Campanas Observatory and, later, the Carnegie Supernova Project (as a part-time researcher), while continuing to collaborate on massive star studies.
She was also a visiting professor at the National Autonomous University of Honduras and the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua.

In 2006 she settled in La Serena, Chile to continue her research.
Among her most outstanding observations, she participated in the discovery of ASASSN-15lh, the brightest supernova ever detected.

Since 2008, Morrell has also participated in Chilean Observation Time Assignment Committees, contributing her knowledge about instruments and procedures for astronomical observation.

In 2009, she appeared in the documentary video El silencio de las Campanas made by Ricardo Benítez, which follows the daily activity of astronomers at a high-level observatory.

In 2014 she was one of the leaders in the detection of a possible hybrid star or Thorne–Żytkow object, which had been a theoretical postulate for years.
This discovery involved the Magellan Telescopes.
The chemical characteristics of this star, HV 2112, were studied using spectroscopy techniques, in which Morrell is an expert.
Nidia Morrell studied astronomy at the National University of La Plata (UNLP), obtaining a licentiate in 1977 and a doctorate in 1984. She received a postdoctoral fellowship (1989–1990) sponsored by the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) to conduct research in the United States, advised by Helmut Altrichter at the Kitt Peak National Observatory. Back in Argentina, she researched and taught at the UNLP Faculty of Astronomical and Geophysical Sciences.
She focused her work on young (mostly O-type and Wolf-Rayet) stars, in regions of star formation and binary stars of large masses, also called massive stars. That type of star quickly consumes its fuel, and ends its existence with a giant explosion: a supernova.
In La Plata, Morrell was a member of the Massive Stars research group led by Virpi Niemelä. She and Niemelä were part of the Hubble Heritage Project, which generated widely disseminated educational resources. From 1996 to 2001, Morrell was a representative of Argentina and a scientific advisor to the Gemini South Observatory.
For years she was one of the main users of the Jorge Sahade Telescope at the Leoncito Astronomical Complex (CASLEO). Many students, who are now astronomers and teachers, made their first observations with her at El Leoncito.
In late 2002, Morrell joined the scientific team at Las Campanas Observatory and, later, the Carnegie Supernova Project (as a part-time researcher), while continuing to collaborate on massive star studies. She was also a visiting professor at the National Autonomous University of Honduras and the National Autonomous University of Nicaragua.
In 2006 she settled in La Serena, Chile to continue her research. Among her most outstanding observations, she participated in the discovery of ASASSN-15lh, the brightest supernova ever detected.
Since 2008, Morrell has also participated in Chilean Observation Time Assignment Committees, contributing her knowledge about instruments and procedures for astronomical observation.
In 2009, she appeared in the documentary video El silencio de las Campanas made by Ricardo Benítez, which follows the daily activity of astronomers at a high-level observatory.
In 2014 she was one of the leaders in the detection of a possible hybrid star or Thorne–Żytkow object, which had been a theoretical postulate for years. This discovery involved the Magellan Telescopes. The chemical characteristics of this star, HV 2112, were studied using spectroscopy techniques, in which Morrell is an expert.
Nidia Morrell