Malika Jeffries-El

Dr. Malika Jeffries-El focuses her research interests on the development of organic semiconductors–materials that combine the processing properties of polymers with the electronic properties of semiconductors. Prior to joining the Department of Chemistry in 2016 she was an Associate Professor at Iowa State University, most recently serving as a Martin Luther King Jr. Visiting Professor at MIT.

Professor Jeffries-El’s research interests include the synthesis of novel heterocycles and conjugated polymers (CP)s or organic semiconductors, and the investigation of structure-property relationships in these systems. She has focused her efforts on the development of CPs due to their technological importance impacting a variety of areas including energy (solar cells), displays, (light emitting diodes), electronics (field effect transistors), and life sciences (sensors). Organic electronics deals with the development of intrinsically (semi)conductive organic molecules, oligomers or polymers. In contrast to conventional electronics, which utilizes inorganic-based materials such as silicon, germanium, GaAs, etc., organic electronic materials are made from carbon-based molecules. Organic semiconductors offer several advantages over inorganic materials.