Electron microscopy and atomic-scale characterization are undergoing a revolution fueled by the new capabilities of electron ptychography, which is setting records for spatial resolution down to 20 picometers. In this talk, I will discuss how my group is developing atomically precise methods to characterize materials using electron ptychography, and the new science we are accessing using these new capabilities. These projects span from using ptychography to visualize thermal vibrations atom-by-atom, to recovering 3D atomic coordinates of 2D moiré materials from a single projection. In addition, we are making cutting-edge techniques of advanced electron microscopy more accessible by using ptychography to achieve 0.44 angstrom spatial resolution in a conventional scanning transmission electron microscope, nearly quadrupling its intrinsic optical resolution. This work demonstrates that expensive aberration correctors are no longer required to achieve atom-by-atom imaging, a significant step towards democratizing access to high-end electron microscopy.