[2] Soon after, Cyprus was invaded by Turkey, forcing her family to flee for safety to Kavallaris' maternal great grandparents' house in the mountains.
[2] She then pursued a Bachelor of Applied Science at the University of Technology Sydney, where she was also working in the laboratory of Alan Pettigrew.
[2][3] While undergoing chemotherapy, she decided to complete her undergraduate degree and pursue a PhD in cancer research.
[2] During the first year of her PhD at the University of New South Wales, Kavallaris's 30-year-old brother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died within six weeks.
[2][6] This has involved using nanotechnology to develop cancer therapies, and to determine mechanisms which lead to anti-cancer drug resistance.