James Christensen
About James Christensen
James “Jamie” Christensen, Ph.D., age 57, is a Class II independent director of Boundless Bio (BOLD) who has served on the board since October 2023; he is President and Head of Research & Development at Terremoto Biosciences (private) since January 2025 and previously was Chief Scientific Officer at Mirati Therapeutics from 2014 to 2024, with earlier oncology R&D leadership roles at Pfizer, Sugen, and Warner Lambert/Parke-Davis; he holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Pharmacology and Toxicology (North Carolina State University) and a B.S. in Biology (Northern Illinois University) and has authored numerous peer‑reviewed articles (Science, Nature, Cancer Cell, Cancer Discovery, NEJM) .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mirati Therapeutics (public) | Chief Scientific Officer; Senior Vice President; VP Research | Jan 2014–Oct 2024; VP Jun 2013–Jan 2014 | Led discovery/advancement of clinical programs including Krazati (adagrasib); oversaw drug discovery, early clinical, manufacturing, companion diagnostics |
| Pfizer (Oncology Research Unit) | Head of Oncology Precision Medicine; executive leadership team member | 2003–2013 (joined 2003) | Led nonclinical research/translational science for Sutent (sunitinib) and Xalkori (crizotinib) |
| Sugen (acquired by Pharmacia) | Group leader, preclinical research/exploratory development | Pre‑Pfizer | Oncology preclinical leadership (small molecule TKIs) |
| Warner Lambert/Parke‑Davis | Scientist | Early career | Early pharma experience in oncology R&D |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terremoto Biosciences (private) | President & Head of Research and Development | Since Jan 2025 | Executive leadership; R&D oversight |
- No other public company directorships are disclosed for Dr. Christensen in the proxy .
Board Governance
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Independence | Board affirmatively determined Dr. Christensen is independent under Nasdaq rules |
| Board Class/Term | Class II director; continuing director with term expiring at 2026 annual meeting |
| Committee Assignments | Compensation Committee member (non‑employee director under Rule 16b‑3) |
| Committee Chair Roles | None disclosed for Dr. Christensen |
| Attendance | Each director attended at least 75% of aggregate Board and applicable committee meetings in 2024 |
| Board/Committee Meetings (2024) | Board: 5; Audit: 4; Compensation: 3; Nominating & Gov: 0 |
| Executive Sessions | Independent directors meet in regularly scheduled executive sessions |
- Compensation Committee retained Alpine Rewards as independent compensation consultant; committee assessed independence and found no conflicts (applies to director and executive compensation) .
Fixed Compensation
2024 actual compensation for Dr. Christensen:
| Component | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Fees earned or paid in cash | $40,000 |
| Option awards (grant date fair value, ASC 718) | $318,712 |
| Total | $358,712 |
Director compensation program (policy levels):
| Retainer Component | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Annual cash retainer (non‑employee director) | $40,000 |
| Chair, Board or Lead Independent Director (additional) | $30,000 |
| Committee chair retainers: Audit / Compensation / Nominating & Gov | $15,000 / $10,000 / $8,000 |
| Committee member retainers: Audit / Compensation / Nominating & Gov | $7,500 / $5,000 / $4,000 |
Performance Compensation
Director equity awards and vesting:
| Grant Date | Award | Shares | Exercise Price | Vesting | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 15, 2024 | Stock options | 13,846 | $8.19 | Equal monthly installments over 3 years, service‑based | Pre‑IPO grant; director options |
| Mar 2024 (IPO‑related) | Stock options | 13,219 | $16.00 | Equal monthly installments over 3 years, service‑based | 2024 Plan; director options |
Program changes effective Mar 27, 2025:
- Initial Director Award increased to 32,000 options (3‑year vesting); Annual Director Award increased to 16,000 options (12‑month vesting with full vest at next annual meeting); Chair Award increased to 8,000 options (12‑month vesting) .
No performance‑based equity metrics are disclosed for director awards; director options are time‑vested service awards (no PSU/TSR metrics) .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Company | Role | Overlap/Interlocks |
|---|---|---|
| None disclosed | — | No interlocks or shared directorships for Dr. Christensen are disclosed in the proxy . |
Expertise & Qualifications
- Pharmacology/toxicology scientist and oncology R&D executive with track record advancing targeted therapies (e.g., Krazati), with leadership in precision medicine and translational science at Mirati and Pfizer .
- Publications in leading journals (Science, Nature, Cancer Cell, Cancer Discovery, New England Journal of Medicine), underscoring scientific credibility .
- Degrees: Ph.D./M.S. (North Carolina State University, Pharmacology & Toxicology); B.S. (Northern Illinois University, Biology) .
Equity Ownership
| Category | Shares | Percent of Outstanding | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (exercisable within 60 days of Apr 25, 2025) | 38,977 | <1% (“*” per table) | Options only; no direct share holdings disclosed (14) |
| Outstanding option awards (as of Dec 31, 2024) | 54,756 | n/a | Total director options outstanding for Dr. Christensen (5) |
- Hedging prohibition: directors are prohibited from engaging in hedging transactions in Company securities (prepaid forwards, swaps, collars, exchange funds) .
- No pledging policy is disclosed; no pledging by Dr. Christensen is disclosed .
- Section 16(a) compliance: Company believes all reporting persons were timely in 2024 (general disclosure) .
Governance Assessment
- Governance strengths: independent director; active Compensation Committee member; attendance ≥75%; director pay structure balanced with modest cash retainer and equity options aligned to long‑term value; independent consultant engaged with no conflicts .
- Alignment signals: 2024 director equity comprised of time‑vested options; no director participation in employee option repricing (repricing applied to eligible employees/NEOs); change‑in‑control vesting applies to non‑employee directors per program .
- Conflicts/related‑party: no related‑party transactions involving Dr. Christensen are disclosed; prior voting agreements terminated at IPO and do not indicate ongoing conflicts for him .
- RED FLAGS: none disclosed specific to Dr. Christensen (no low attendance, no related‑party transactions, no hedging/pledging reported) .