Benjamin Rupp is the team lead of Materials Science and Metallurgy at Jacobs Space Exploration Group and at Marshal Space Flight Center. A graduate of the University of Alabama, Ben earned a master's degree in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. Ben has engineering experience from his previous positions at both Nucor Corporation and Gallatin Steel Company.

With over 10 years of experience in the industry, Ben and his team support NASA through determining the heat treat response for metal additive manufacturing and friction-stir weldability of aluminum alloys at various combinations of tempering and aging schedules. Failure analysis is a key part of his work. Currently, Ben is certified in additive manufacturing for innovative design and production by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has both a Green and Black Belt in Six Sigma.

Ben worked as a plant metallurgist and special process subject matter expert, leading the special process team that consists of four subject matter experts with the goal of developing, maintaining, and improving heat treating, nondestructive testing, chemical processing, and metallurgical quality.