Photocatalytic lithography couples light with photoreactive coated mask materials to pattern surface chemistry. We excite porphyrins to create radical species that photocatalytically oxidize, and thereby pattern, chemistries in the local vicinity. The technique advantageously is suited for use with a wide variety of substrates. It is fast and robust, and the wavelength of light does not limit the resolution of patterned features. We have patterned proteins and cells to demonstrate the utility of photocatalytic lithography in life science applications.