CBRE has named the former CEO of BayBio and MarylandBio and founder of a biomanufacturing nonprofit to lead its national life sciences advisory arm.

Matt Gardner was named to the new position leading the firm’s U.S. Advisory Life Sciences practice this week, CBRE announced, in a role focusing on occupier and investor leasing as well as sales in established and emerging life sciences markets.

Gardner has more than three decades of industry experience on the economic development side, developing an understanding of how local markets evolve and the intricacies of biomanufacturing. He served as CEO and co-founder of Innovation Counsellors, a consulting firm focused on life sciences ecosystem development. He also founded the California Biomanufacturing Center and served as CEO of life sciences cluster organizations BayBio and MarylandBio.

His appointment comes in the midst of a booming real estate market for lab and life sciences space. CBRE research found 32M SF of lab space under construction in the nation’s 12 largest markets at the end of 2021, with a vacancy rate of just 4.8%. It also underscores how the biotech real estate sector is increasingly expanding into more services and seeking talent outside of the real estate world, who can bring more scientific experience to bear on the firm’s strategy and services.