[1][2] In the course of his life, Burke held multiple professorships,[1][3] most recent of which (1983-2018) was the position of professor of geology and tectonics at the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science, University of Houston.

His studies on plate tectonics, deep mantle processes, sedimentology, erosion, soil formation and other topics extended over several decades and influenced multiple generations of geologists and geophysicists around the world.

During his time in Toronto with Wilson, Burke began a lifelong study of hotspots,[4][5] rifting[6] and mantle processes,[7][8] which was enhanced by his previous field experiences in Africa and the Caribbean.

During his 10-year residence in Albany, Burke produced many seminal papers on continental rifting,[11][7][12] hotspots,[13][14] Caribbean tectonics,[15][16][17] and the effects of continent-continent collision in Asia and other places.

[25] This work stimulated renewed interest to the LLSVPs in the geosciences community, resulting in a growing number of studies aimed to address the origin and evolution of the LLSVP structures in the lowermost mantle.

The EOS magazine of the American Geophysical Union paid a tribute to Kevin Burke by publishing an article, in which he was described as a "complete geologist of the ilk of Charles Lyell, Alexander von Humboldt, Eduard Suess, or Arthur Holmes.