Burkert was born in Würzburg. He has been a member of the German Bundestag since the 2013 national elections. He has since been serving on the Committee on Transport and, from 2013 on, the Committee on Transport and Digital Infrastructure; he chaired the committee from 2013 to 2017. In his first term from 2005 until 2009, he was also a member of the Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.