[3] Burks became an assistant professor of chemistry at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, in 2016, where she taught and conducted research until 2020.

[4] Her current research centers on developing low-cost colorimetric sensors for detecting chemicals of forensic interest including explosives and illicit drugs.

[7] Her research interests lie in the applied science domain, which she believes is well-suited to capturing and holding students' attention because they are working to solve real-world problems.

[10] She has spoken about her intersectional research approach to equipping students with the technical knowledge they need to work on these real-world challenges with the United States Department of Defense Science, Technology, and Innovation Exchange.

This direct engagement — her commitment to finding chemistry that can entertain and enlighten people who wouldn’t normally think of science — is nothing short of phenomenal".