James (Jim) Howard Burge earned his BS degree from Ohio State University in 1987. He then received his MS and PhD degrees in 1991 and 1993 from the University of Arizona, where he has remained the duration of his career in various positions.

Since 2008, he has been in his current position, as Professor in the Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory. He is also Professor Emeritus in the College of Optical Sciences.

He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Society for Precision Engineering. He is a Fellow of the Society and SPIE. In 2011, he was the recipient of the  Joseph Fraunhofer Award/Robert M. Burley Prize.