Sonja studied for her BA in Natural Sciences, with a specialism in Plant Sciences, at Downing College, Cambridge. Following an MRes in Biochemical Research at Imperial College London, Sonja returned to Cambridge to undertake a PhD in the Department of Pharmacology under the supervision of Dr. Laura Itzhaki. Her research investigated the intrinsically disordered protein binding partners of beta-catenin using biophysical methods.

Returning to her roots, Sonja currently lectures and leads practicals for Plant Sciences within the Natural Sciences Tripos, for which she was awarded a Pilkington Prize in 2019. She also pursues educational research into scientific skill development in higher education. For the College, she supervises Part IB Plant and Microbial Sciences and also contributes to Part IA biology teaching. When not teaching, Sonja enjoys boardgames, gardening and science outreach.