Tara Ruttley Speaking Fee: $10,000 to $20,000

Dr. Tara Ruttley is the Chief Scientist for Orbital Reef, Blue Origin’s next-generation commercial space station, where she helps shape a future in which space is not only explored, but actively used to advance science, innovation, and humanity. Her work focuses on enabling research and discovery that will define the next era of human presence in low Earth orbit. Dr. Ruttley’s career reflects a lifelong fascination with life, learning, and exploration. She spent 21 years at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), contributing to one of humanity’s greatest collaborative achievements: the International Space Station (ISS). Beginning her career at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in 2001, she worked as an engineer designing medical systems and human research hardware that flew aboard the ISS, directly supporting the health and performance of astronauts in space. Driven by a deep curiosity about the human experience, Dr. Ruttley pursued a PhD in Neuroscience and joined the ISS Program Science Office as ISS Associate Program Scientist. In this role, she helped guide and communicate the Station’s scientific mission, connecting research conducted in orbit to benefits on Earth. She later served as NASA’s Associate Chief Scientist for Microgravity Research in Washington, DC, advising senior leadership on how space-based research can expand knowledge, inform policy, and serve society. In 2022, Dr. Ruttley joined Blue Origin to lead the scientific vision for Orbital Reef, helping build the laboratories, partnerships, and opportunities that will open space to researchers, educators, and innovators from around the world. Dr. Ruttley holds a BS in Biology and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University, as well as an MA in Anthropology–Archaeology from the University of Houston, where her research explored the role of religion in slavery and social control in the pre–Civil War United States. Her work spans disciplines from engineering to neuroscience to the social sciences, reflecting a belief that the biggest questions — on Earth or in space — are best answered by crossing boundaries .An astronaut selection finalist, holder of a U.S. utility patent, and author of publications across multiple fields, Dr. Ruttley is also a sought-after speaker on topics about science, exploration, leadership, and the power of curiosity to shape a more informed and inspired future.