Harley D. Rutledge (January 10 1926 – June 5 2006) was an American solid‑state physicist and ufologist who conducted one of the earliest systematic, instrumented field investigations of unidentified aerial phenomena. As chair of the physics department at Southeast Missouri State University, Rutledge applied rigorous scientific methodology to the study of UFOs, a subject often dismissed by mainstream academia.

In 1973, after a wave of sightings around Piedmont, Missouri, Rutledge launched Project Identification, recruiting students and colleagues to establish observation stations equipped with telescopes, cameras, photometers, and magnetometers. Over seven years, the team logged hundreds of hours of observations, recording numerous anomalous events that defied conventional explanation. Rutledge’s 1981 book Project Identification: The First Scientific Field Study of UFO Phenomena presented detailed case analyses and argued that a small percentage of sightings represented genuine physical phenomena that warranted further scientific scrutiny.

Rutledge appeared frequently in media interviews and documentaries, emphasizing that while most UFO reports had mundane explanations, a persistent minority exhibited characteristics that could not be easily dismissed. His work remains a landmark in the effort to bring empirical rigor to UAP research, bridging the gap between academic skepticism and the public’s fascination with the unknown.