Tara Ruttley, Ph.D., is currently the Chief Scientist for the Orbital Reef at Blue Origin. Ruttley previously served as the associate chief scientist for Microgravity Research at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Combining her love for biology and human spaceflight, she earned a bachelor's degree in biology and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Colorado State University. Upon completion of her master's degree, she began her career at NASA at the Johnson Space Center in 2001, where she was hired as a biomedical engineer for the medical equipment and human research hardware used on the ISS. While working as an engineer, she concurrently pursued her Ph.D. in neuroscience and then joined the ISS Program Science Office, where she spent over a decade playing an active role in managing, evaluating, and communicating ISS science activities before moving to NASA Headquarters in 2019.

Ruttley has diverse academic interests, having recently completed a master's degree in anthropology-archaeology from the University of Houston, where her research was on the role of religion in slavery and social control on U.S. plantations prior to the Civil War.

Ruttley has authored publications ranging from hardware design to neurological science and holds a U.S. utility patent.

Ruttley is a dynamic, down-to-earth, relatable speaker, and someone who is just fun to talk with. She has over a decade of experience in media appearances and has given light-hearted, informative, leadership-driven, and motivational keynotes to audiences ranging from undergraduates to career scientists and industry corporate professionals.

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