The Hugo Research Group Theme is a free and open-source Hugo starter theme by Wowchemy (now HugoBlox) that creates complete websites for research groups, labs, teams, and organizations through a no-code, widget-based page builder.
What is the Hugo Research Group Theme?
The Hugo Research Group Theme is a starter website template built on the Hugo static site generator by Wowchemy (HugoBlox). It turns content written in Markdown, LaTeX math, diagrams, RMarkdown, or Jupyter notebooks into a static website with a homepage, news feed, academic publications list, events calendar, team profiles, and a contact form. The theme is trusted by more than 250,000 researchers, educators, and students, and it can be customized entirely through widgets, light/dark themes, and language packs.
Key Features
- No-code widget-based page builder — Edit your site through the integrated Wowchemy CMS or any text editor, then generate the static site with Hugo.
- Pre-built page sections — Includes a homepage, news, academic publications, events, team profiles, and a contact form out of the box.
- Technical content support — Write in plain text Markdown, LaTeX math, diagrams, RMarkdown, or Jupyter; all render natively.
- BibTeX publication import — Automatically import citations from BibTeX files using the Hugo Academic CLI.
- One-click deployment — Deploy to GitHub Pages or Netlify directly after generating with Hugo.
- Light/dark themes and language packs — Customize the look and localize the site without writing code.
Who is it for?
- Research groups and labs that need a professional web presence with publications, news, and team listings.
- Academic educators and students who want a personal academic site or course website with a publications feed.
- Small business and organization teams that prefer a no-code, static-site workflow over a dynamic CMS.
Use cases
- Research labs: Publish team member profiles, recent publications (imported from BibTeX), and upcoming events in one place.
- Conference organizers: Use the events section to announce talks, deadlines, and calls for papers.
- Graduate students: Build an academic portfolio that includes a publication list, teaching experience, and contact form.
How does the Hugo Research Group Theme work?
You start by cloning the starter repository or using the Get Started flow on hugoblox.com. Add your content as Markdown files in the appropriate folders, customize page sections with the widget editor, then build the site with Hugo and deploy it to GitHub or Netlify. The demo page claims you can have a working site in less than 60 seconds.
Pricing
The Hugo Research Group Theme is free and open source. The Wowchemy website builder and CMS is also free to use; an optional GitHub Sponsorship unlocks exclusive academic templates and widgets.
FAQ
Is the Hugo Research Group Theme free?
Yes, the theme is free and open source. The Wowchemy builder and CMS also offer a free tier, and optional sponsorship provides exclusive extras.
What content formats does it support?
You can author content in plain Markdown, LaTeX math, diagrams, RMarkdown, or Jupyter notebooks. The theme renders them all as HTML with no conversion steps.
How do I import publications from BibTeX?
Use the Hugo Academic CLI, which automatically reads a BibTeX file and converts each entry into the publication page format the theme expects.
Can I customize the design without code?
Yes. The integrated Wowchemy page builder lets you select widgets, choose light or dark themes, and enable language packs through a visual interface. You can also edit the underlying files directly.
Where can I deploy the site?
Any static hosting works, but the documentation specifically covers GitHub Pages and Netlify deployment.
