This thesis summarizes my work on characterizing isolated defects in zinc oxide (ZnO). In chapter 1, I will briefly review the major strength of quantum information processing over classical computation. I will then review the basic properties of nitrogen-vacancy centers, the most-studied point defect species in diamond, and how they motivate the search for defects of similar properties in other semiconductor materials for defect-based quantum information processing. In chapter 2, I will describe our initial study on the optical properties of successfully isolated defects in ZnO: their fluorescence spectra, excited state lifetimes, and their photodynamics including blinking. In chapter 3, I will detail my work on extending the capability of an atomic force microscope to include simultaneous imaging in a confocal geometry. In chapter 4, I will discuss possible directions for our defect studies.