Dr. Sorana Morrissy

Associate Professor

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Biography

Sorana Morrissy is an Associate Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine and a full member of the Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute. With a strong background in computational cancer biology, she specializes in high-throughput -omics data analytics that have led to significant contributions in translational cancer research, particularly in the development of novel immunotherapies currently being tested in clinical trials. Her research focuses on understanding tumor heterogeneity and evolution in response to therapy, which includes studying various aspects of cancer biology to inform the improved design of therapies for patients with high-risk solid tumors. Her work is particularly centered on precision oncology, which requires cataloging cancer-related genes and deciphering the rules that govern tumor evolutionary processes involved in progression and treatment resistance. Dr. Morrissy leads an interdisciplinary team of bioinformaticians, computer scientists, and biologists who examine the dynamics of tumor evolution in response to therapy by integrating data from state-of-the-art molecular profiling technologies, including spatial transcriptomics, single-cell sequencing, and proteomics, utilizing machine learning and computational approaches for analysis. Her research aims to understand the cancer ecosystem dynamics to design therapies capable of perturbing this ecosystem and fostering recovery, all of which align closely with the development of innovative immunotherapies and are embedded within the Riddell Center Cancer Immunotherapy and Precision Oncology Initiative at the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre.

Research Interests

Requirements for University of Calgary

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.3
IELTS
Listening
Required:6
Reading
Required:6
Writing
Required:6
Speaking
Required:6
Overall
Required:7
TOEFL
Listening
Required:20
Reading
Required:20
Writing
Required:20
Speaking
Required:20
Total
Required:97
GRE General
Verbal
Required:150
Quantitative
Required:159
Analytical Writing
Required:5.5
Overall
Required:5.5
Prerequisites
4-year Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent 3rd or 4th year course in Theory of Computation 3rd or 4th year course in Software Engineering 3rd or 4th year course in Systems (OS, Compilers, Networking) 3rd or 4th year course in Application (AI, Graphics, Databases)
Application Checklist
  • Unofficial Transcripts
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Statement of Purpose
  • Two Letters of Reference
Specialization Notes

Department of Computer Science Master's program. GRE scores are expected for international students.