While silicon’s properties are excellent for electronic devices, optical sources based on silicon are incapable of efficient, high-speed communication. The goals of this project are to create a continuous knowledge link between atomistic material theory and chemical material synthesis of a variety of 2D metal dichalcogenidies and their alloys as a foundation for discovering, synthesizing, and accelerating the next generation of on-chip laser devices suitable for applications in telecommunication and data-processing. The research collaborators will combine theoretical screening of a broad range of materials and predictive modeling of substrate stabilization of their structure, with development of growth methods for a diverse set of materials, and application-near functional evaluation on a waveguide tested. This project brings together an interdisciplinary set of methods ranging from analytical and numerical simulation, to chemical process development and the design and characterization of on-chip integrated laser devices. This vertical, theory-based integration of materials development methods realizes the goal of the Materials Genome Initiative. Success of this project will provide input to the field of functional 2D materials for years to come that will be instrumental in the development of novel photonic integrated circuits, and potentially sensors.