Tara Ruttley is an Associate Program Scientist for the International Space Station (ISS) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Dr. Ruttley’s role in the ISS Program Science Office consists of representing and communicating all research on the space station and supporting the ISS Chief Scientist’s research recommendations to the ISS Program Manager and to NASA Headquarters.
Combining her love for Biology and human spaceflight, she pursued her BS degree in Biology and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University. Upon completion of her MS degree, she came to work for NASA in 2001 where she began her career 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 PhD in Neuroscience and joined the ISS Program Science Office upon completion, where she’s since enjoyed playing an active role in the science activities taking place on the ISS. Dr. Ruttley has authored publications ranging from hardware design to neurological science and holds a U.S. utility patent.