Nature Chemical Biology | Phase Separation | Invited News & Views | Oct 2025
New work reveals how acetylation of the Mediator subunit MED1 tunes transcriptional condensates and RNA polymerase II pausing during stress responses, highlighting a post-translational switch that connects phase behavior to gene activation in cellular stress resilience. Read more. Read the primary article.

Nature Communications | July 2025

Decreasing chromatin heterogeneity with epigenetic modifying drugs correlates with decreased mobility of both endogenous and engineered condensates, and is associated with impaired condensate growth and shifts in the binodal phase boundary of engineered condensates.  Full article.

bioRxiv | June 2025
We develop and experimentally validate a mesoscopic model of elastocapillarity that bridges the physics of phase separation and chromatin mechanics. Our findings underscore that nuclear condensates and chromatin cannot be studied in isolation, as they are fundamentally interdependent, with implications for genome organization and transcriptional regulation. Read the manuscript. 

Nature Methods |  Research Highlight |  Oct 2024
Lei Tang highlights Strom et al. synthetic condensates in Nature Methods. "Synthetic systems can show us what biomolecular condensates are capable of, then we have a clearer idea of what to look for in native systems." Read the Highlight.

Blavatnik Regional Postdoc Award Finalist | Sep 2024
Amy is recognized as a Blavatnik regional postdoc award finalist. "A scientific revolution is underway, uniting ideas across disciplines to address the pressing challenges of health, energy and the environment. This award is an honor and recognition of these efforts from myself and all interdisciplinary scientists."  
See the award announcement. Watch the Gala highlights. 

New York Academy of Sciences | Postdoc appreciation week | Sep 2024
Achieving balance in the face of obstacles is not just about personal discipline; it often hinges on the resources and support provided by the institution. We should be building structures that empower individuals to create a balanced life. Read the blog. 

FASEB | Nuclear Bodies | June 2024
Invited to speak at the conference in Niagra Falls, NY alongside great lineup of speakers discussing formation, function, and dissection of Nuclear Bodies.  Read the meeting report, including a section on diversity and careers.

Collaborator's Graduation | What an achievement :) | May 2024
Amy's close collaborator in the Brangwynne lab graduates with her Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Princeton University. Now she's a postdoc at Rockefeller.

Cell | Collaboration | Oct 2023
We demonstrate that condensate formation and heterotypic interactions are distinct and separable features of an IDR within the ARID1A/B subunits of the mSWI/SNF chromatin remodeler, cBAF, and establish distinct “sequence grammars” underlying each contribution. Together, these data identify IDR contributions to chromatin remodeling and explain how phase separation provides a mechanism through which both genomic localization and functional partner recruitment are achieved.
Read the study.

NIH | NCI | Award | K99/R00 | March 2023
Dr. Strom was awarded a K99/R00 Pathway to Independence grant from the National Cancer Institute to collaborate with Dr. Cigall Kadoch from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard on the ARID1A/B IDRs. See the proposal.