Curriculum Vitae
Amy R. Strom, PhD
Academic Research Professional, Postdoctoral Fellow
I am a broadly trained quantitative biologist using microscopy and biophysics in living cells to build a mechanistic understanding of chromatin-binding proteins in nuclear organization and function. I create synthetic systems to rescue defects of nuclear condensates seen in cancer and aging by engineering chromatin reorganization, enzymatic functionality and phase behavior.
Contact me
email: astrom "at" princeton "dot" edu
Professional Experience
2018-present Life Science Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow through the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University
Postdoctoral mentor: Dr. Clifford P. Brangwynne
2023 - present NCI K99/R00 Awardee
Co-mentor: Dr. Cigall Kadoch, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Department of Pediatric Oncology, Harvard University
Research Focus: Quantitative biophysics of the nucleus; sequence grammar of disordered proteins; nuclear mechanics and metastasis; eu- and heterochromatin organization
Education
2012-2018 Ph.D. in Molecular and Cell Biology
University of California, Berkeley
Thesis title: "Phase Transitions in Nuclear Organization and Function"
Thesis advisor: Dr. Gary H. Karpen
2008-2012 B.S. with Highest Honors in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Thesis title: "Long-range Enhancer-Promoter Interactions: The Sine oculis story"
Thesis advisor: Dr. Scott Barolo
Grants and Awards
Blavatnik Regional Postdoc Award Honoree, 2024
NIH Pathway to Independence Award, NCI K99/R00, "Phase Transitions in Chromatin Organization that cause Cancer Progression", 2023
Life Science research Foundation Fellowship through Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, No. AWD1006303, 2018-2022
NSF GRFP, DGE 1106400, 2013-2017
Runner up for Larry Sandler Memorial Award for Best Dissertation of Previous Year, 2019
Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award, 2016
Phi Beta Kappa Academic Honors Society, 2012
Selected Talks
FASEB Nuclear Bodies, Invited Speaker, Buffalo NY, 2024
APS March Meeting, Invited Speaker, 'Biomolecular Condensates in the Nucleus' Minneapolis MN, 2024
Genentech Discovery Oncology, Invited Speaker, South San Francisco, 2024
Condensate Colloquium Series, Invited Speaker, virtual series, 2023
4D Nucleome annual meeting, Boston MA 2023
UTMB BMB seminar series, Invited Speaker, Galveston TX, 2022
Re-imagining a Cellular Space Occupied by Condensates, Invited Speaker, Univ. of Utah 2022
Genentech Future of Oncology Research Virtual Symposium, Invited Speaker, 2022
Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Virtual symposium, Invited Speaker, 2021
4D Nucleome virtual annual meeting, Speaker, 2021
American Society for Cell Biology virtual annual meeting, Speaker, 2021
PhaseAGE International virtual Conference, Speaker, 2021
Chromopalooza, student-organized symposium at University of Vienna, Invited Speaker, Austria, 2020
NYU Chromatin Club, Invited Speaker, 2019
59th Annual Drosophila Research Society Meeting, Speaker, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, 2018
Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Seminar Series, Invited Speaker, Northwestern Univ, 2017
EMBO Chromatin and Epigenetics Conference, Speaker, Heidelberg, Germany, 2017
American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting, Speaker, San Francisco CA, 2016
Nuclear Organization and Function Meeting, Speaker, Cold Spring Harbor NY 2016
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Invited Speaker, Bronx NY 2016
Teaching Experience
Teaching Assistant for courses
Physiology: Summer Course, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole MA 2022, 2019
MCB 133L: Cell Biology & Physiology Lab, UC Berkeley 2015
Bio1A: Introductory Biology Lecture and Recitation, UC Berkeley 2014
Chem 231/232: Organic Chemistry Lecture and Recitation, Univ of Michigan, 2011, 2012
Phys 140/240: Physics for the Life Sciences, Univ of Michigan, 2011, 2012
Mentored Students at Princeton University
Yoonji Kim, Graduate Student, Department of Molecular Biology, 2018-present
Natalia Orlovsky, Undergraduate student, Department of Molecular Biology, 2020-2022
Angela Yang, Undergraduate Student, Department of Chem & Bio Eng 2019-2021
Mentored Students at UC Berkeley
Collin Hickmann, Graduate Student, Department of MCB, UC Berkeley, 2017-2018
Ryan Zhang, Undergraduate Student, Department of MCB, UC Berkeley 2016-2018
Debbie Staijen, Masters Student, University of Utrecht / LBNL, UC Berkeley, 2014-2015
Braedi Ego, Undergraduate Student, Department of MCB, UC Berkeley, 2015-2018
Outreach
Member of Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) group at Princeton 2018-2020
Participated in fundraising and advocacy events to support womens health and equity in scientific careers
Program Founder and Coordinator for MCB Graduate Network Mentorship Program, UC Berkeley 2017-2018
Initiated a peer mentorship group to promote wellness and provide mental health resources to graduate students
"Be A Scientist!" program volunteer at local middle schools in Berkeley, 2015-2017
Engaged in and provided supplies for weekly student-led experiments at underfunded local middle schools
Dinner with a scientist program volunteer with OUSD, Oakland CA 2014-2016
Served as a biology representative for a yearly event to initiate discussions between the public and scientists
Idea Institute student instructor, Ann Arbor MI 2010-2012
Instructed summer laboratory courses in organic chemistry and introductory biology for students transferring from 2-year to 4-year institutions
Professional Activities and Associations
Reviewer for Nature Communications, Journal of Molecular Biology, Nature Structure & Molecular Biology, Current Opinion in Cell Biology
American Society of Cell Biology, member 2018-present
Biophysical Society, member 2018-present
4D Nucleome Consortium, associated member 2018-present
Conference Organizer: The Biophysics of Nuclear Organization and Function, UC Berkeley, Berkeley CA 2017, 2018
Program Coordinator for MCB Graduate Network Mentorship Program, UCB 2017-2018
Member of selection committee for incoming MCB graduate students, UCB 2015
Amgen Scholar at Columbia University, Mentor: Daniel Kalderon, 2011
Scientific skillsets
Project direction
Management of multiple simultaneous trainees on independent projects
Complex cell culture
Extensive experience with immortalized, stem cell and primary patient sample cell lines
Advanced Microscopy
Specialization in live-cell super-resolution microscopy using diverse platforms including Zeiss AiryScan and lattice light sheet, Nikon SoRa and A1R, Leica STED and custom-built machines
Targeting disordered protein regions
Built sequence grammar understanding of a large disordered region of ARID1A subunit in cBAF chromatin remodeler-driven endometrial cancer, toward potential therapeutic targeting
Physical analytical theory and simulation
In collaboration with Princeton theorists, developed mesoscale continuum theoretical models that describe cancer-associated changes in nuclear structure and function
Developmental biology and embryology
Experienced with Drosophila as a model organism and its embryogenesis, as well as superficial understanding of a variety of non-model marine organisms from work at Woods Hole Marine Biological Laboratory