Professor Zhao's group is interested in probing, understanding, and eventually controlling emergent electronic and magnetic phases in quantum materials, including both three-dimensional (3D) bulk and two-dimensional (2D) atomic and moiré crystals. In particular, her group focuses on the 3D and 2D materials with strong electron-electron interactions and/or strong spin-orbit coupling. Her primary experimental tools are a broad set of optical spectroscopy and microscopy techniques, including linear and nonlinear, static and ultrafast, elastic and inelastic ones.