The Hugo Research Group Theme is a free, open-source Hugo starter for building research group, team, or business websites using the no-code Wowchemy widget builder. It packages the content types and page sections a research organization needs — news, publications, events, team profiles, and a contact form — into a single theme that runs on the Hugo static site generator.
What is the Research Group Theme?
The Research Group Theme is a Hugo starter theme maintained by the Wowchemy project that creates a complete website for a research group, team, or business. It takes content written in Markdown, LaTeX math, RMarkdown, or Jupyter notebooks and publishes it as a static site with homepage sections for news, academic publications, events, team profiles, and a contact form. The theme is generated with Hugo and can be edited through the integrated Wowchemy no-code CMS or any text editor.
Key Features
- No-code widget page builder — Customize layouts, add sections, switch between light/dark themes, and change languages through the Wowchemy widget-based editor without writing code.
- Academic content formats — Write posts and pages in plain-text Markdown, with support for LaTeX math, diagrams, RMarkdown, and Jupyter notebooks.
- BibTeX publication import — Automatically pull citations and publication lists from a BibTeX file using the Hugo Academic CLI converter.
- Publication and event sections — Built-in data types for academic publications, event listings, news posts, and team member profiles.
- Contact form — A working contact form is included for inquiries from visitors.
- Flexible deployment — Build the site with Hugo and deploy to GitHub Pages, Netlify, or any static host; the demo site runs on Netlify.
- CMS editing — Edit site content from the Wowchemy CMS or your preferred editor, then rebuild and publish.
Who is it for?
- Research group leaders — Create a professional group homepage that highlights recent publications, lab news, and open positions.
- Academic lab managers — Keep an event calendar and team roster up to date without asking a developer for help.
- University departments and educators — Publish course materials, faculty profiles, and announcements using academic content formats.
- Small business or startup teams — Build a team website with the same no-code editor and contact form when a research-specific format is not required.
What can you do with the Research Group Theme?
- Research groups: publish news posts, import publication lists from BibTeX, and list upcoming seminars or conferences.
- Lab websites: display team profiles with avatars and bios, and link to each member's academic output.
- Academic events: create event pages with dates, locations, and speakers, then share them from the homepage.
- Business teams: stand up a company or team site with the contact form and team sections in under an hour.
How does the Research Group Theme work?
Editing and publishing follows the standard Wowchemy workflow: start from the starter template, edit content in the CMS or your editor, generate the static site with Hugo, and deploy with GitHub or Netlify. The demo site shows what a complete site looks like in less than 60 seconds of setup. Content written in Markdown, LaTeX, RMarkdown, or Jupyter is processed by Hugo into HTML pages.
Pricing
The theme is free and open source. The Wowchemy project asks users to support ongoing development through GitHub Sponsors, with perks such as exclusive academic templates and widgets for sponsors.
FAQ
Is the Research Group Theme free to use?
Yes, the theme is free and open source. You can use it for personal or organization websites without paying, and optional support is available through GitHub Sponsors.
What content formats can I use?
You can write in Markdown and also include LaTeX math, diagrams, RMarkdown, or Jupyter notebooks. The Hugo Academic CLI lets you import citations from BibTeX automatically.
How do I deploy my research group website?
Generate the site with Hugo, then deploy it to GitHub Pages, Netlify, or another static host. The demo site is hosted on Netlify, and the documentation walks through the update and release process.
Can I customize the design without coding?
Yes, the Wowchemy widget-based page builder lets you rearrange sections, change widgets, switch light/dark themes, and apply language packs through the CMS, no code required.
