Jigang Wang's research lab has a vision to implement and emerging theme: use coherent ultra-short-laser pulses to achieve quantum control of material properties and drive non-equilibrium phase transitions at femtosecond timescales via local excitations at nanometer length scales. The cross-cutting theme has merged different disciplines of current focus including quantum magnetism, ultrafast nonlinear optics, condensed matter physics, materials science, physical chemistry, and biological photosynthesis. These provide increasing evidence, both from intellectual and practical point of view, on a paradigm shift for modern physics and technology to engage ultrafast coherent excitation, strong correlation and nonlinearity.