With the advent of ultrafast laser technology has come the ability to follow the dynamics of chemical systems in "real time." Here a chemical process is initiated via the absorption of a photon from laser pulse (termed the pump pulse) whose duration is short compared to the time scale of atomic or molecular motion. Evolution of the system is then followed in time with a second laser pulse (termed the probe pulse). Of particular interest are the time scales associated with the flow of energy and charge within complex molecular systems with the goal of understanding how the mechanisms and pathways of transport are connected with the structure of the material. Projects in our laboratory focus on complex chemical systems, including nanoscale materials, inorganic coordination complexes, and interfacial environments.