Ilona is a third-year PhD student in Dr Sander Herfst’s group at Erasmus Medical Center. With a background in virology, her research focuses on the adaptive pathways of influenza A viruses, particularly airborne transmission and fitness optimisation under environmental and host-specific pressures. She has published key findings on hemagglutinin stability during transmission (Curr Opin Virol, 2023) and the airborne infectivity of H5Nx viruses (Nat Microbiol, 2025). Ilona is passionate about integrating molecular research with interdisciplinary approaches to better understand outbreak dynamics and advance One Health strategies.