Academic website revamp

Purpose: redesign the Jekyll site with a stronger visual identity and refreshed content structure.

Quick start

bundle config set --local path vendor/bundle
bundle install
bundle exec jekyll serve

Review (January 2026)

Strengths

• Clear separation of research, teaching, and lab content.
• Solid publication list and external profile links.
• Jekyll + GitHub Pages setup is lightweight and easy to deploy.

Gaps

• Visual design relies on the default Minima theme with minimal branding.
• Navigation and landing page feel text-heavy and dated.
• Content hierarchy lacks clear calls-to-action for students/collaborators.
• Blog listings are utilitarian and do not surface recent highlights.

Revamp goals

• Establish a distinctive visual identity (typography, colour, layout).
• Create a structured hero section with key links and CTAs.
• Use consistent page headers and richer layouts across sections.
• Ensure responsive layout and accessibility basics.