We are broadly interested in understanding the interplay between spin, charge, and lattice degrees of freedom in the solid state and developing ways to design new and improve existing functional materials. We place a strong emphasis on preparing high purity materials using high-temperature ceramic and hydrothermal methods. We place an equal emphasis on the complete physical characterization, which includes accurately determining the underlying crystal structure, magnetism, electrical transport, dielectric properties, and electrochemical performance. We also frequently use density functional theory (DFT) calculations to bridge our understanding of the nature of chemical bonding to the functional properties of materials.