Our group applies innovative spectroscopic tools to investigate the chemical and physical processes that operate in natural environments ranging from the interstellar medium to the heart of living cells. The ultimate goal of this work is a detailed understanding of the evolution of molecular diversity from atoms in the interstellar medium or from simple chemical precursors in laboratory syntheses to complex molecules and aggregates throughout the solar system, in life, and in the devices utilized by man. We carry out both remote sensing and laboratory studies, and we are actively developing new spectrometers across the Terahertz (THz, 30-1000 μm) region of the electromagnetic spectrum, with active research in three major scientific areas.