Iona completed her BA in Cell and Systems Biology at the University of Oxford. There, her work focused on understanding differential immune control of HIV-1 and HIV-2 by investigating expression of the HIV accessory protein Nef in macrophages. During her degree, Iona also undertook a research internship at Instituto Butantan, Brazil, where she studied inflammatory responses to snake envenomation. 

Iona joined the Boyle lab as an MPhil student in October 2024.