Professor Burrows received his B.A. and M.A. from Trinity College Cambridge University, then studied for his Ph.D. Department of Physical Chemistry, Cambridge University, investigating the spectroscopy and kinetics of the hydroxyperoxyl, HO₂, hydroxyl, OH, and other atmospheric free radicals by means of laser magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The main emphasis of his research in the earl phase of his post-graduate career was the laboratory study of the photochemistry and reaction kinetics of atmospherically important species. In 1982 he joined the Department of Atmospheric Chemistry of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, where he worked on exploitation of matrix isolation spectroscopy for studies of atmospheric constituents in the laboratory. From 1984 onwards he started to develop concepts to exploit the remote sensing of atmospheric constituents by monitoring back scattered and reflected solar radiation. In July 1988, he proposed, supported by an international team, the SCIAMACHY (Scaning Imaging Absorption specroMeter for Atmopsheric CHartographY) Project to the European Space Agency; it now flies on the on ENVISAT satellite. In December 1988 he proposed a second smaller version called SCIA-mini for flight on the ERS-2. In 1989, SCIA-mini was descoped to GOME-1, which was then placed by ESA on a fast track development for ERS-2.

Professor Burrows has acted as the Principal Investigator or Lead Scientist for GOME-1 and SCIAMACHY. A version GOME-2 has been developed by ESA and EUMETSAT, supported by Professor Burrows and other scientists, and currently flies aboard the METOP-A. Professor Burrows initiated with an international team, the GeoSCIA project in 1997 and later the GeoTROPE (GeoSCIA and GeoFIS) projects to make high temporal and spatial sampling measurements of the back scattered solar radiation and the terrestrial thermal infrared, required for Air Quality applications. These concepts are currently being discussed for potential flight by either EUMETSAT or ESA within GMES.

In 1992 Professor Burrows was elected the chair entitled "Physics of the Ocean and Atmosphere" at the University of Bremen, joining the Institute of Remote Sensing. He was founding member of the Institute of Environmental Physics in 1993 and is currently a director and spokesperson. Professor Burrows is involved in national and European research initiatives, currently being a member of the management committee of the ACCENT (Atmospheric Chemistry and Climate European Network) and his department participates in the current EU integrated projects AMMA, SCOUT-O3, QUANTIFY, GEMS and GeoMON.

Professor Burrows has been a visiting scientist at NASA GSFC and the University of Maryland since the early 1990s spending a sabbatical leave there in 1995. He has been in active collaboration with the NOAA Chemical Sciences Division since 1984. His department have participated in the ICARTT and INTEX campaigns with NASA and NOAA.

Professor Burrows has received a number of honours and awards in his career. Most recently, in 2004 he was elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and received the COSPAR William Nordberg Medal for his research work in 2006.

He is currently a member of the IGBP IGAC-SSC, secretary of the CACGP, vice Chair of the COSPAR commission A, a member of the European Physical Society, Environmental section, and a member of the WCRP-SPARC SSG. In addition he is an associate editor of Atmospheric Physics and Chemistry, Atmospheric Environment and formerly of the Journal of Geophysics. He has been an editor of the Journal of Advances in Space Physics since 1998.

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