Research

Research in the Mao Laboratory centers on physical chemistry at the intersection of quantum information science (QIS), laser spectroscopy, and magnetic resonance. We leverage synthetic chemistry and advanced spectroscopic techniques to investigate spin-selective processes in photoexcited molecules and establish design principles for materials for QIS. Our goals are to: 1.) harness the electronic polarizability and spin coherence of photoexcited molecules for quantum sensing applications, 2.) develop novel electron spin resonance (ESR) techniques to probe dynamics of spin-selective processes in molecular qubits, and 3.) elucidate and control exotic spin-selective chemical and physical processes through coherent spin manipulation.