How To Become A Cancer Researcher: What It Is and Career Path

What is a cancer researcher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. Neal Palmer Ph.D.

Though the elusive cure for cancer is still out of reach, there are different treatment options for those suffering from various kinds of cancer.

A cancer researcher is primarily involved in seeking options for cancer treatment and prevention. They must have an in-depth knowledge of their field and be well-versed in conducting scientific laboratory experiments. They also have to know all laboratory tools and equipment by heart and be able to follow health and safety protocols when doing research and experiments.

To qualify for the job, a cancer researcher is required to have a PhD or an MD, plus proven work experience in the medical and healthcare field. A natural love for learning, especially in disciplines like chemistry and biology, will be helpful in this job.

What general advice would you give to a Cancer Researcher?

Dr. Neal Palmer Ph.D.

Chair, Associate Professor, Christian Brothers University

I think the pandemic will affect history graduates in many of the same ways it will affect graduates in any major. I hope they will be struck, hopefully, humbled by the power of the natural environment to dictate the terms on which humanity can function. I also hope that it teaches the importance of group cohesion and cooperation in confronting problems. If this happens, I think it could have long-range effects on the personal and political behavior of these graduates as they confront future environmental and social challenges. If you are asking about the more mundane question of jobs, I think history majors should fair well in the post-pandemic world. History majors leave college with communication and thinking skills that will help them adapt and succeed in a fast-changing and unpredictable world.

ScoreCancer ResearcherUS Average

Salary

5.8

Avg. Salary $73,896

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.3

Growth Rate 17%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.15%

Asian 26.41%

Black or African American 6.34%

Hispanic or Latino 9.56%

Unknown 4.09%

White 53.45%

Gender

female 63.10%

male 36.90%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress Level

6.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.8

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.7

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a cancer researcher

Explore cancer researcher education requirements

Most common cancer researcher degrees

Bachelor's

62.6 %

Master's

12.6 %

Doctorate

12.3 %

Start to develop specific cancer researcher skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	18.58%
Clinical Research	9.06%
Clinical Trials	8.30%
Data Collection	5.83%
Patient Care	5.17%

Complete relevant cancer researcher training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New cancer researchers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a cancer researcher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real cancer researcher resumes.

Research cancer researcher duties and responsibilities

Manage mouse colonies (breeding, weaning and genotyping).
Create Linux shell scripts to automate common process which severely reduce manual work load and processing time for the entire lab.
Perform quantitative analysis of DNA, RNA, and the use of RT-PCR.
Perform clerical duties in accordance with HIPAA regulations.

Prepare your cancer researcher resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your cancer researcher resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a cancer researcher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Cancer Researcher Resume templates

Build a professional Cancer Researcher resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Cancer Researcher resume.

Apply for cancer researcher jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a cancer researcher job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do cancer researchers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Cancer Researcher reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

Exploring more about reseaching field by building knowledge in a certain subject of research and growing the wisdom and knowledge.

Cons

The struggle of not breaking a certain research topic.

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2019