Sònia Paytubi holds a Biology degree (1998) and a PhD in Microbiology (2004) from the University of Barcelona (UB), where she specialized in gene expression regulation in enteric bacteria. Following her PhD, she completed two postdoctoral stages at the Universities of Dundee and St Andrews (Scotland, UK), working on translational and transcriptional regulation in eukaryotes and Archaea. After returning to the University of Barcelona in 2009, she combined research on bacterial gene regulation with undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and the supervision of BSc, MSc and PhD students.

In 2018, she joined the Infection and Cancer Laboratory (INCALAB) at the Cancer Epidemiology Research Programme of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO-IDIBELL), where she redirected her research towards cancer prevention, HPV-related diseases and molecular epidemiology. During her first year at ICO, she coordinated a Phase III clinical trial evaluating the immunogenicity and tolerability of the 9-valent HPV vaccine (GARDASIL®9) in adult women.

Her current research focuses on the development and validation of molecular biomarkers and minimally invasive diagnostic approaches for the early detection of HPV-related anal cancer and gynaecological cancers. She led the ELAVImet project, which investigated novel viral and host biomarkers for the detection of anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions among GBMSM living with HIV. Through the aSELF-GEN project, she evaluated the feasibility and diagnostic performance of anal self-sampling for HPV detection in GBMSM and transgender women (TGW), contributing to the development of more accessible screening strategies. She is currently co-Principal Investigator of the GAIA study, which explores anal cancer risk and prevention strategies in women with HPV-related genital neoplasia, an understudied population in anal cancer research. In parallel, she has contributed to the SCREENWIDE and GAIN-EC projects, focused on the identification and validation of genomic biomarkers in minimally invasive samples, including urine and cervicovaginal specimens, for the early detection of endometrial cancer. Her work combines molecular biology, next-generation sequencing and epidemiological approaches to develop innovative and accessible screening strategies based on self-sampling and minimally invasive specimens.

She is an active member of CIBERESPand collaborates extensively with national and international research groups in HPV epidemiology, cancer prevention and translational oncology.

Beyond research, she is actively involved in science communication and cancer prevention initiatives. She contributes to the coordination of Mejor Sin Cáncer, an evidence-based outreach platform led by researchers from ICO and IDIBELL that promotes cancer prevention and public awareness.