The fundamental study of laser material interactions across length and time scales in the context of laser microprocessing and maskless nanomanufacturing has been the subject of intense research interest. Understanding of the associated energy transport phenomena has opened the way to applications on micro/nanofabrication, the synthesis of nanomaterials and their integration into electronic and energy devices. New methods have been introduced for the localized structural modification, growth and assembly of nanostructures. This article presents recent work on the nanoscale crystallization of semiconductor materials applied to structural color metasurfaces, the directed growth of semiconductor materials with high spatial and temporal resolution, and the laser modification of two-dimensional layered semiconductors, including the demonstration of spatially selective and stable doping.