Claire Aldridge, PhD
About Claire Aldridge, PhD
Independent director of Alexandria Real Estate Equities (ARE), age 55, appointed March 14, 2025. PhD in Immunology/Genetics & Genomics from Duke University and BS in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M. Prior roles include Chief Strategy Officer at Form Bio and senior operating, commercialization, and venture roles in gene therapy and academic tech transfer; the board’s skills matrix designates her as having Artificial Intelligence expertise and life science domain expertise .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Form Bio, Inc. | Chief Strategy Officer | Jul 2022 – Aug 2024 | Led integration of AI/ML into genomic analysis; built proprietary datasets for model training |
| Taysha Gene Therapies (NASDAQ: TSHA) | SVP, Chief of Staff & Business Operations | Jul 2021 – Apr 2022 | Senior operating role in gene therapy programs |
| UT Southwestern Medical Center | Associate VP, Commercialization & Business Development | Apr 2019 – Feb 2021 | Academic tech transfer leadership |
| Remeditex Ventures | Vice President, Venture Development | Jul 2011 – Apr 2019 | Early-stage biotech venture investing and company building |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colossal Biosciences Inc. | Scientific Advisory Board member | Current | De-extinction/biodiversity company; SAB role |
| 4E Therapeutics, Inc. | Director | Current | Board service |
| Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) | Product Development Advisory Committee | Current | $6B state program; advisory role |
| Nucleate Texas | Founding Advisor | Current | Non-profit biotech leadership network |
| Duke University | Entrepreneurial Leaders Network participant | Current | Student/alumni commercialization network |
| UT Dallas Bioengineering Dept. | Past Chair, Industrial Advisory Board | Prior | Academic advisory leadership |
Board Governance
| Governance Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Independence | Yes, as determined by the Board under NYSE standards |
| Director since | 2025 (appointed March 14, 2025) |
| Committees | Life Science Committee (member) |
| Committee chairs | None (LS Committee chaired by Maria C. Freire, PhD) |
| Overboarding policy | No director should serve on >4 other public company boards; all directors compliant |
| Stock ownership guidelines | Non-employee directors: 3× annual cash retainer; new directors have 5-year phase-in (Aldridge is in phase-in) |
| Board attendance context | Overall directors’ attendance 99% and ≥75% requirement met in 2024 (Aldridge joined in 2025; not applicable to 2024) |
Fixed Compensation
ARE’s independent director program (2024 schedule; Aldridge elected in 2025, not included in 2024 table):
| Component | Amount/Terms |
|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer | $110,000 |
| Lead Director additional fee | $50,000 |
| Committee chair fees | Audit $40,000; Compensation $35,000; Nominating & Governance $35,000; Life Science $35,000 |
| Committee member fees | Audit $20,000; Compensation $20,000; Nominating & Governance $20,000; Life Science $20,000 |
| Pricing Committee member fee | $6,000 |
Notes: 2024 director compensation table excludes Aldridge; she received no 2024 compensation (appointed March 2025) .
Performance Compensation
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Annual equity grant | $200,000 (fixed-dollar restricted stock/phantom stock units) |
| Vesting | Generally over 3 years (time-based) |
| Deferred Compensation Plan for Directors (DCPD) | Allows deferral of cash fees/equity into phantom stock units; phantom units mirror dividend/adjust vesting conditions; distributions in stock per elections |
| Options/SARs | Not permitted; none outstanding under 1997 plan |
| Director compensation cap | $600,000 total per year (cash + equity grant date fair value) |
| Clawback/forfeiture | Awards subject to company clawback policy; minimum vesting standards apply to full-value awards |
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Disclosure |
|---|---|
| Current public company boards | None disclosed for Aldridge |
| ARE board interlocks of others (context) | Dr. Freire serves on Biogen; independence evaluated given Biogen lease with ARE; Board concluded immaterial and independent |
| Related-party transactions | No Item 404 related-party transactions disclosed for Aldridge; Company reported none requiring disclosure in the period (aside from the Norges JV, unrelated to Aldridge) |
Expertise & Qualifications
- AI/ML: Board skills matrix marks “Artificial Intelligence Expertise” for Aldridge; led AI/ML integration into genomic analysis and advanced therapeutics at Form Bio .
- Life science: 25 years in biotech and venture; advisory roles across CPRIT, Nucleate Texas; recognized by Forbes among “10 women leading the synthetic biology revolution” (Apr 2023) .
- Education: PhD (Duke, Immunology/Genetics & Genomics), BS (Texas A&M, Biomedical Science) .
Equity Ownership
| Holder | Shares Beneficially Owned | % Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Claire Aldridge, PhD | 1,000 | <1% | Appointed March 14, 2025; ownership per proxy beneficial table |
| Ownership guidelines status | — | — | Director guideline is 3× cash retainer; Aldridge is within 5-year phase-in period |
| Pledging/Hedging | — | — | Company prohibits hedging and pledging except narrow collateral exceptions; anti-pledging policy applies to directors |
| Options/Phantom units | — | — | No director options under plan; no phantom units disclosed for Aldridge in proxy |
Governance Assessment
- Board effectiveness: Adds cutting-edge AI/ML and life science commercialization expertise aligned with ARE’s mission; independence affirmed; committee placement on Life Science aligns her domain knowledge with strategic board oversight .
- Alignment: Stock ownership guidelines (3× retainer; phase-in), anti-hedging/anti-pledging, and $600k director comp cap support shareholder alignment; director equity is primarily time-based, with DCPD deferral and strong governance protections (no options; clawback provisions; minimum vesting standards; double-trigger change-of-control mechanics in equity plan) .
- Conflicts: No related-party transactions disclosed for Aldridge; Board policies require N&G Committee review of any related-person transactions (none reported for Aldridge) .
- Engagement/attendance signals: While Aldridge joined in 2025, ARE reports 99% board/committee attendance in 2024 and robust stockholder engagement programs, suggesting a high-engagement board culture she joins .
RED FLAGS: None disclosed for Aldridge (no related-party transactions, hedging/pledging prohibited, independence affirmed) .
Monitoring points: Watch for any future business ties between ARE and entities where Aldridge holds advisory/board roles (e.g., Colossal Biosciences, 4E Therapeutics) that would require Item 404 review; track her equity awards and compliance trajectory under director ownership guidelines over the 5-year phase-in .