Malika Jeffries-EL

Malika Jeffries-EL
Alma mater	Wellesley College George Washington University
Awards	Fellow of the American Chemical Society (2018) National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2009)
Scientific career
Fields	Organic electronics[1]
Institutions	Boston University Iowa State University Carnegie Mellon University
Thesis	Synthesis and characterization of π-conjugated polymers utilizing A -B monomers (2002)
Doctoral advisor	Richard M. Tarkka[2]
Other academic advisors	Richard D. McCullough
Website	www.bu.edu/chemistry/jeffries-el-3/ www.chemdiva.com

Malika Jeffries-EL is an associate professor of chemistry at Boston University studying organic semiconductors.^[1] Specifically, her research focuses on developing organic semiconductors that take advantage of the processing power of polymers and the electronic properties of semiconductors to create innovative electronic devices.^[3] She was elected as a Fellow of the American Chemical Society in 2018.^[4]

Early life and education[]

Jeffries-EL is from Brooklyn, New York and was the first in her immediate family to attend college.^[5] She was inspired to become a scientist by Mae Jemison, an American engineer, physicist, and astronaut who was the first black woman to travel to space.^[6] Jeffries-EL earned BA degrees in Chemistry and Africana Studies from Wellesley College in 1996.^[5][7] In 1999 she earned her Master's degree in Chemistry from The George Washington University (GWU). In 2002, Jeffries-EL completed her PhD in Synthetic Chemistry at GWU. Richard Tarkka supervised her.^[2][7][8]

Research and career[]

After completing her PhD, Jeffries-EL worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Carnegie Mellon University under the supervision of Richard D. McCullough from 2002 to 2005.^[4] While there, she worked on the synthesis and field-effect mobility of polythiophene.^[9][10] In 2005, she joined the faculty at Iowa State University and was promoted to tenure in 2012.^[11][12] Jeffries-EL works on organic semiconductors.^[13][14]

Jeffries-EL served as a Martin Luther King visiting professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology between 2014 and 2015.^[15][16][17] Here, her group focused on the synthesis of polymer building blocks, including heterocyclic electron-rich (donor) and electron-poor (acceptor) units.^[18][19] For electron-deficient units, Jeffries-EL develops benzobisazoles.^[20][21] She is interested in cross-conjugated organic semiconductors, including benzodifurans, as well as functional Polythiophenes.^[22][23] She uses the materials for organic solar cells, transistors and light-emitting diodes.^[24]

In 2015 Jeffries-EL was selected as the 8th Annual Goldstein Distinguished Lecturer by Cal Poly Pomona College of Engineering.^[25] She was the keynote speaker at the 2016 Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society meeting.^[26]

In 2016 she joined Boston University as a tenured associate professor.^[27]

Advocacy and services to science[]

• Sigma Xi member^[28]
• National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers member^[28]
• Editorial advisory board for Chemical and Engineering News^{[29][30][31][32][33]}
• Editorial advisory board for the Society Committee on Education (SocEd)^{[29][30][31][32][33]}
• Advisory board for the Women Chemists of Colour program ^{[29][30][31][32][33]}
• Arranged workshop at MIT for the 'Diverse Leaders of Tomorrow' (2011)^[34]
• Ran a series of National Science Foundation Early Career Investigator Workshops (2016)^[35]
• Participated in the Science Coalition's video campaign during the 2016 presidential elections^[36]
• Associate editor of the Journal of Materials Chemistry C ^[37]
• Boston Women of Color Advisory Committee member ^[38]
• Advisory board for Open Chemistry Collaborative in Diversity Equity (OXIDE)^[39]

Awards and honors[]

• 2008 – 3M, Nontenured Faculty Award^[18]
• 2008 – Science Spectrum Magazine, Emerald Honors for most promising minority scientist^[18]
• 2009 – NSF CAREER Award^[40]
• 2010 – National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, Lloyd Ferguson Award^[41]
• 2012 – American Chemical Society, Women Chemists Committee Rising Star Award^[42]
• 2014 – Agnes Fay Morgan Research Award, from Iota Sigma Pi^[43][44]
• 2015 – American Chemical Society, from Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences^[45]
• 2018 – Elected a fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS).^[4] She was honoured by the American Chemical Society in 2018, becoming one of the 2% of their members to achieve the status of fellow.^[46]
• 2021 – National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, Percy L. Julian Award.^[47]

Notable publications[]

Jeffries-EL has nearly 100 publications.^[1] Some of her notable/highly cited publications include the following:

• Jeffries-EL, Malika; Sauvé, Geneviève; McCullough, Richard D. (December 2005). "Facile Synthesis of End-Functionalized Regioregular Poly(3-alkylthiophene)s via Modified Grignard Metathesis Reaction". Macromolecules. 38 (25): 10346–10352. Bibcode:2005MaMol..3810346J. doi:10.1021/ma051096q.
• Jeffries-EL, M.; Sauvé, G.; McCullough, R. D. (17 June 2004). "In-Situ End-Group Functionalization of Regioregular Poly(3-alkylthiophene) Using the Grignard Metathesis Polymerization Method". Advanced Materials. 16 (12): 1017–1019. doi:10.1002/adma.200400137.
• Jeffries-EL, Malika; Kobilka, Brandon M.; Hale, Benjamin J. (11 November 2014). "Optimizing the Performance of Conjugated Polymers in Organic Photovoltaic Cells by Traversing Group 16". Macromolecules. 47 (21): 7253–7271. Bibcode:2014MaMol..47.7253J. doi:10.1021/ma501236v.

Personal life[]

Jeffries-EL is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers.^[6]

References[]