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The differences between cancer researchers and scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a cancer researcher and a scientist. Additionally, a scientist has an average salary of $97,344, which is higher than the $73,896 average annual salary of a cancer researcher.
The top three skills for a cancer researcher include patients, clinical research and clinical trials. The most important skills for a scientist are chemistry, data analysis, and patients.
| Cancer Researcher | Scientist | |
| Yearly salary | $73,896 | $97,344 |
| Hourly rate | $35.53 | $46.80 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 17% |
| Number of jobs | 24,199 | 62,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A cancer researcher is a medical scientist who devotes their time working at laboratories to study and discover ways to diagnose and treat cancer, saving countless people's lives in the process. Their duties usually include gathering and analyzing samples through basic or complex laboratory processes, studying existing cases from people of all ages, organizing specimens and instruments, coordinating with fellow experts, conducting experiments, and maintaining extensive records. Moreover, as a cancer researcher, it is essential to keep an open communication line with fellow researchers, collaborating efforts for a smooth workflow.
A scientist is responsible for researching and analyzing the nature and complexities of the physical world to identify discoveries that would improve people's lives and ignite scientific knowledge for society. Scientists' duties differ in their different areas of expertise, but all of them must have a broad comprehension of scientific disciplines and methods to support their experiments and investigations. They collect the sample for their research, record findings, create research proposals, and release publications. A scientist must know how to utilize laboratory equipment to support the study and drive results efficiently and accurately.
Cancer researchers and scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cancer Researcher | Scientist | |
| Average salary | $73,896 | $97,344 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $117,000 | Between $67,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | AstraZeneca | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Technology |
There are a few differences between a cancer researcher and a scientist in terms of educational background:
| Cancer Researcher | Scientist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Biology | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between cancer researchers' and scientists' demographics:
| Cancer Researcher | Scientist | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 36.9% Female, 63.1% | Male, 56.9% Female, 43.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 26.4% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |