Dr. Daniel Burgin is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, although he moved frequently during his childhood, living all across the state of Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and overseas in Waterloo, Belgium. His family settled in Brentwood, Tennessee, where he attended high school at Brentwood Academy.

His professional education began at Birmingham-Southern College in Birmingham, AL, where he was selected as the William J. Rushton Scholar, the preeminent academic scholarship awarded by the college. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Physics. While at Birmingham-Southern, Dr. Burgin was the president of the Honor Council, a member of the Southern Ambassadors, a member of the Greek community, a graduate of the Harrison Honors Program, and a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society.