Meet our research team

Dr Peter Diamond has a love of research and a passion for helping people living with cancer. Peter has worked as a cancer research scientist for over 20 years. He undertook a PhD in immunology, through the Department of Medicine at the University of Adelaide, and subsequently took up post-doctoral research positions at the Hanson Centre for Cancer Research, IMVS and SA Pathology working on gene regulation and blood cancers.

Dr Diamond has also worked for AusAid and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Thailand leading a multi-country HIV/AIDS prevention program across South-East Asia in collaboration with in-country Departments of Health and the UN. Upon returning to South Australia in 2014, he joined the Leukaemia Foundation to manage support services for South Australia and Northern Territory, act as the State Representative for South Australia and work on national policy and advocacy initiatives. For five years, Dr Diamond also held the role of National Head of Research for the Leukaemia Foundation.

Dr Julia Morris is an early career researcher and holds a PhD in Psychology and Masters of Public Health. She began working in the Behavioural Research and Evaluation Unit in 2018, became Senior Researcher in 2022, and Research Manager in 2024. Prior to joining Cancer Council SA, she worked in university and government research institutes. In 2020, she was awarded a Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Survivorship Research Fellowship. Her research interests include data linkage, health equity and survivorship.

Dr Daniel Coro is an early career researcher who completed his PhD in psychology at the University of South Australia in 2022. He is passionate about psycho-oncology and exploring the impact and relationship between modifiable behaviours (such as physical activity, diet and nutrition, sleep, and psychosocial engagement) on physical and mental health in people living with a cancer diagnosis.

His research interests include financial strain, improving supportive care access and utilisation, and needs of culturally and linguistically diverse and LGBTQIA+ communities. He has experience with systematic reviews, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and student supervision.

Dr Jennifer Baldock is a researcher with a multidisciplinary background spanning cognitive science, cancer, and health equity. She was awarded a PhD in Cognitive Science/Audiology from Flinders University in 2022, where she investigated cognitive effort during listening tasks. Dr Baldock is currently a researcher in the Behavioural Research and Evaluation Unit at Cancer Council SA, and she holds adjunct positions with Flinders University and the University of South Australia.

Dr Baldock’s current research focuses on cancer-related cognitive impairment, cancer screening and survivorship, and health equity.

She is a Chief Investigator on a Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) Survivorship project co-producing cancer support resources with and for people with intellectual disability. She has a strong commitment to inclusive research methodologies and works collaboratively with researchers with lived experience of disability to ensure research is meaningful and impactful.

She brings expertise in both qualitative and quantitative methods, including experience in statistical analysis and data visualisation using R. Dr Baldock also supervises Honours and HDR students.

Dr Ryan Calabro is a behavioural scientist, awarded a PhD in Psychology from Flinders University in 2022, where his research focused on food consumption behaviours, specifically the factors influencing soft drink choices and vending machine selections.

Since joining Cancer Council SA in 2022, his research has centred on understanding and addressing the unmet supportive care needs of people impacted by cancer across South Australia. He has also investigated health behaviours, including food, physical activity and sleep patterns, particularly in the context of staying away from home for cancer treatment. His broader research interests include the behavioural determinants and public perceptions of modifiable cancer risk factors.

In addition to his role at Cancer Council SA, Dr Calabro is an Adjunct Associate Lecturer at both Flinders University and the University of South Australia. He has supervised several honours research projects on topics such as evaluating campaign concepts promoting water consumption, and public understanding of cancer risk in relation to lifestyle behaviours.

Rebecca is an accredited practicing dietitian and researcher, working at Cancer Council SA since 2017. She has been involved in program evaluation and research support to improve the quality and effectiveness of Cancer Council SA prevention and support programs. She is passionate about cancer survivorship, improving nutritional outcomes and promoting equity of access in healthcare. This underpins her interest in the impact of weight stigma throughout the cancer care continuum.

Sara has a background in psychology and has been working in the fields of health and behavioural research and program evaluation since 2005. Joining Cancer Council SA in 2019, she has worked on a range of programs across the cancer care trajectory including screening, prevention and patient support. Her role focuses on program evaluation and research support to maintain and improve the quality and effectiveness of programs and services. She has a particular interest in equity of access to health care, with a current focus on the impact of weight stigma on people with a cancer diagnosis.

Dr Sini Skariah is an accomplished research leader with a PhD from New York Medical College. With over 14 years of experience, she has led and managed complex, multidisciplinary research projects across the USA, Qatar, and Australia, with a strong focus on infectious diseases, drug discovery and public health. She has secured numerous competitive research grants as a lead investigator and holds a patent in high-throughput drug discovery.

A certified Project Management Professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute (PMI-USA), Dr Skariah brings deep expertise in research strategy and project delivery. Since joining Cancer Council SA in 2024, she has led the organisation’s research grants and development portfolio — managing externally funded grant programs, building strategic partnerships and ensuring funding supports high-impact cancer research across South Australia.

In addition to managing external grant programs, Dr Skariah also plays a key role in leading and supporting Cancer Council SA’s own grant submissions, helping to secure external funding that strengthens the organisation’s research capability and long-term sustainability.