MDAG Workshop Part 4:
Creating your own academic website

Johané Nienkemper-Swanepoel


Centre for Multi-Dimensional Data Visualisation (MuViSU)
Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Stellenbosch University


25 November 2025

Thank you

Thank you to the following individuals for supporting open-source software and sharing knowledge through repositories:

Why websites with Quarto?

  • You do not have to be a web developer to get this running.
  • Use your R markdown / Quarto skills to create a professional looking website.
  • Easy to edit and customise as little or as much as you would like.
  • Integration with SCOPUS, ORCID ID, Google Scholar, R package downloads, etc. is possible.

Getting started

  • We assume you have completed the homework assignment to setup your GitHub account.

  • We will follow the steps in Part 4b step-by-step document.

  • This workshop will help to you to get started with your academic website which will include:

    • Landing page: Photo, Name, short biography
    • Academic background and career highlights
    • Including conference / seminar presentations
    • Adding a blog post

  • After the workshop you can add more pages by consulting other repositories for inspiration.
      For example:

Not crucial for today

  • A profile photo. The repository has a temporary image to use today.

  • A relatively updated CV as a resource to create content for your website.

  • Decide on at least two colours you would like to use for your website. Use for example: Canva palettes for inspiration.

    • Advanced changes: explore the style file (custom.scss) [scss - Sassy Cascading Style Sheets].

Additional resources