Malika Jeffries-EL is an American chemist and professor of chemistry at Boston University studying organic semiconductors.

[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.

[2][7][8] 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.

[15][16][17] Here, her group focused on the synthesis of polymer building blocks, including heterocyclic electron-rich (donor) and electron-poor (acceptor) units.

[24] In 2015 Jeffries-EL was selected as the 8th Annual Goldstein Distinguished Lecturer by Cal Poly Pomona College of Engineering.