Pathway to Independence – an interview with Sonya Widen

Sonya Widen is a Postdoctoral Fellow in Alejandro Burga's lab at the Vienna BioCenter, Austria. She is interested in large DNA transposons called Polintons (or Mavericks) that facilitate horizontal gene transfer across nematodes and how they and other transposons with viral-like properties can influence development and evolution. Sonya is part of the 2025 cohort of Development's Pathway to Independence programme, which aims to support postdocs in their transition towards establishing their own labs and securing independent funding. We spoke to Sonya online to learn about her research interests in genome evolution, hopes for the programme and plans for her future lab.