My group?s research deals mostly with low dimensionality systems and the importance of changes in material properties due to the creation or presence of interfaces. Our main research objectives are to gain understanding of the organization of molecules (and atoms) at surfaces created using methods such as electrodeposition, self-assembly and covalent attachment on surfaces via ?wet? chemistry; to study relevant properties of these films and ultimately to control the formation of these materials. In this presentation I will give several examples of our work including the properties of self-assembled monolayers of metal phthalocyanine molecules as model electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction, the surface modification of large band gap semiconductors for the design of hybrid solar cell devices, functionalized porous materials for desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) including DESI-MS imaging and finally on the preparation of nanostructured thin films for device applications. These systems are probed using a broad array of techniques including x-ray diffraction, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). In addition, I will highlight some of our contributions to multidisciplinary research at the interface between biology and surface science more specifically in the areas of genomics, antibiotic resistance and protein self-assembly.