Sonya is a doctorate student at the University of Geneva. She completed a Master of Arts in English Studies at the University of Nottingham in the UK and a Bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature at the University of Sulaimani in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Prior to starting her Ph.D. research, she worked as an assistant lecturer in the Faculty of Languages, English and Translation Department at the University of Sulaimani. She also worked as a visiting lecturer at the private American University of Iraq-Sulaimani.

Her interest in the education sector and gender studies has lead her to participate in a variety of programs and workshops in relation to public policy, migration, leadership and gender roles in higher education in the United States. She is a member of the ‘Women Leaders in Higher Education’ working group - administrated by IREX and Vanguard University in California. Additionally, she worked with the U.S. Embassy in Iraq and the University of Cincinnati in Ohio in providing workshops on leadership skills, civic engagement, and public speaking in Iraq.

She is currently a member of (G-RIRE) working on her Ph.D. thesis where she is researching gender inequality construction in higher education in the context of Iraq, with a particular focus on the Kurdistan Region.