Transcription factors are proteins that modulate gene expression throughout development, or in response to a changing environment. They are thought to function by binding DNA through a structured domain and recruiting co-activators through an intrinsically disordered domain. However, it has long been known that transcription factors can regulate genes to which they have no detectable binding by ChIP-seq or CUT&RUN assays, complicating this model. A growing body of evidence has shown two key things. First, that the intrinsically disordered region of a transcription factor plays a major role in shaping its genomic localization—more so than the structured DNA-binding domain. And second, that the trans environment of a cell is not sufficient to determine gene expression: cis regulation must be permissive enough for expression to occur and to be stabilized. I aim to understand how these intrinsically disordered regions interact transiently and dynamically with chromatin to influence gene expression states. My goal is to define how such interactions produce robust regulation, even in the absence of stable TF binding, by leveraging single-molecule footprinting and super-resolution imaging tools.