Hugo Researcher

Hugo Researcher is a minimal, monospaced resume theme for the Hugo static site generator, ported from the Jekyll theme of the same name.

What is Hugo Researcher?

Hugo Researcher is a Hugo theme that renders Markdown content files into a single-page resume or CV website with a monospaced typeface. It takes your content written in Markdown (such as contact details, education, publications, and experience) and produces a clean, text-focused layout. The theme requires the extended Hugo version because it generates CSS from Sass. It is distributed through the GitHub repository ojroques/hugo-researcher and is a port of the Jekyll theme ankitsultana/researcher.

Key Features

• Monospaced design — Uses a monospaced font for the entire page, giving the resume a terminal-like, text-first aesthetic.
• Sass-based styling — The theme's CSS is compiled from Sass, which is why the extended Hugo version with built-in Sass support is mandatory.
• Simple installation — Can be added as a git submodule (git submodule add https://github.com/ojroques/hugo-researcher.git themes/researcher) or cloned directly into the themes directory.
• KaTeX math typesetting — Math can be enabled per page by setting math: true in a content file's front matter, or globally by setting math to true in the project config. A bundled math shortcode prevents Hugo's newline handling from breaking block equations.
• Example site included — The exampleSite folder contains a self-explanatory config.toml and demo content to get started immediately.
• Open-source license — Released under the GPL-3.0 License, so it can be freely reused and modified.

Who is it for?

Researchers and academics who want a simple online CV that can display mathematical formulas. Developers building a Hugo site who prefer a minimalist, monospaced aesthetic for a personal page. Job seekers who need a lightweight, single-page resume that is easy to deploy as a static site.

What can you do with it?

• Academics: Publish a CV with publications and equations rendered via KaTeX directly on the page.
• Web developers: Scaffold a personal resume page within minutes by cloning the theme and editing the Markdown content.
• Static-site hobbyists: Use the theme as a starting point for a minimal personal website, taking advantage of Hugo's build system.

How does it work?

Install the theme by adding it to your site's themes directory, set theme = "researcher" in config.toml, and write your resume content in Markdown. If you need math, set math: true in the relevant content file or globally in your config. Build the site with Hugo extended to compile the Sass and generate the static resume page.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Simple and focused design; easy setup via submodule; built-in KaTeX support; free and open source.
• Cons: Requires the extended Hugo version; monospaced styling is not a good fit for everyone.

Pricing

The theme is free — it is open source under the GPL-3.0 License.

Alternatives

The original researcher theme by ankitsultana runs on Jekyll and offers the same monospaced resume layout if you are using Jekyll instead of Hugo.

FAQ

Does Hugo Researcher require a specific Hugo version?

Yes, the extended Hugo version is required because the theme uses Sass to generate CSS files. The standard Hugo binary does not include the Sass compiler.

How do I enable math typesetting?

Set math: true in the front matter of a content file, or set math to true in your project configuration to enable KaTeX globally. The theme includes a math shortcode to prevent newline-related parsing issues with block equations.

Is the theme free to use?

Yes, Hugo Researcher is open source under the GPL-3.0 License. You can freely use, modify, and redistribute it under the terms of that license.

How do I install the theme?

Add it as a git submodule with git submodule add https://github.com/ojroques/hugo-researcher.git themes/researcher, or clone the repository into your themes directory if your site is not managed by git.