Malika Jeffries-EL
American chemist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Malika Jeffries-EL is an American chemist and Senior associate dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences 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]
National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2009)
Malika Jeffries-EL | |
|---|---|
| |
| Education | 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] |
| Workplaces | Boston University Iowa State University Carnegie Mellon University |
| Thesis | Synthesis and characterization of π-conjugated polymers utilizing A -B monomers (2002) |
| Richard M. Tarkka[2] | |
Other academic advisors | Richard D. McCullough |
| Website | |
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 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]
- 2023 – Research Corporation for Science Advancement's Robert Holland Jr. Award for Research Excellence and Contributions to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.[48]
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. Bibcode:2004AdM....16.1017J. doi:10.1002/adma.200400137. S2CID 98592398.
- 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.
