The Francis Birch Lecture honors the life and work of Francis Birch, a renowned geophysicist. It is presented annually to a recipient who exemplifies Birch’s work, especially those focused on elasticity, phase relations, thermal properties, heat flow, and the composition of the Earth’s interior. The lecture is presented during the AGU Fall Meeting. The Birch Lecture is also part of the Bowie Lecture Series, established in 1989 to commemorate the 50th presentation of the William Bowie medal, AGU’s highest honor.