Lab website examples: the 6 pages every research lab site needs, with sample copy
What a research lab website should include, page by page, with sample copy for the homepage, research, people, publications, joining and contact pages.
A strong lab website has six pages: a homepage that says what the lab studies in one plain sentence, a research page organised by question rather than by grant, a people page with photos and current roles, a publications page with links to the papers, a join-the-lab page for prospective students and postdocs, and a contact page. Most lab sites fail because they go out of date, so the structure should make updates quick.
Key takeaways
- Say what the lab studies in one plain sentence at the top of the homepage.
- Organise research by the questions you ask, not by grant or project codes.
- A people page with photos and current roles does more for recruiting than anything else.
- A 'Join the lab' page saves you answering the same emails every term.
- Update the news and people pages every term, or remove the dates.
A lab website has one main job: helping the right people find the lab and decide to work with it. That’s mostly prospective PhD students and postdocs, followed by collaborators, funders and the occasional journalist.
Here are the six pages a research lab site needs, what to put on each, and sample copy you can adapt. The lab in the examples is invented.
1. Homepage
The homepage should answer three questions in the first screen: what does this lab study, where is it, and who leads it.
The Coastal Ecology Lab
We study how salt marshes recover after storms, and how to help them recover faster.
Led by Professor Maria Santos at the University of Georgia.
[Our research] [Join the lab]
What makes it work:
- One plain sentence about the work. A strong undergraduate in a nearby field should understand it.
- The PI’s name and institution right below it.
- Two buttons, for the two things most visitors want: the research, and how to join.
- Below that: a lab photo, three recent news items and a short list of funders or partners.
2. Research
Organise research by the question each project asks, not by grant number or internal project name.
How fast do marshes recover?
We track 40 marsh sites along the Georgia coast after each major storm, measuring plant cover, sediment and soil chemistry. This tells us which marshes bounce back and which don’t.
Key papers: [Paper 1], [Paper 2]
People: [Names]
What makes it work:
- Three to five themes, each with a short plain-language summary.
- One image per theme: a field site, a figure or equipment.
- Links to the key papers and the people working on each theme.
3. People
This is the page prospective students read most closely. They want to see who they’d work with, and whether people finish and do well afterwards.
Maria Santos, Principal Investigator Professor of Marine Sciences. [Email] [Personal website]
Daniel Okoro, Postdoctoral Researcher Storm surge modelling. Joined 2025.
Priya Shah, PhD Student Soil microbes in recovering marshes. Joined 2024.
What makes it work:
- A photo for everyone, in a consistent style.
- Role, one-line topic and start year for each person.
- An alumni section showing where former members went. This is your strongest recruiting tool.
4. Publications
2026
Shah P, Okoro D, Santos M. Soil microbes predict marsh recovery after hurricanes. Ecology Letters. [PDF] [Data] [Code]
What makes it work:
- Newest first, grouped by year.
- Lab members’ names in bold in the author lists.
- Links to the PDF, data and code wherever you can share them.
- One line pointing to Google Scholar for the complete list, so the page doesn’t have to be exhaustive.
5. Join the lab
This page saves you from answering the same emails every term, and it helps strong applicants write better ones.
Join the lab
PhD students: We admit one or two students a year through the Marine Sciences PhD programme. Apply by 1 December. Before applying, email Maria with your CV and a paragraph on which of our projects interests you.
Postdocs: We currently have no open positions. We’re happy to support fellowship applications. Get in touch six months before the deadline.
Undergraduates: We take two or three research assistants each summer. Applications open in February.
What makes it work:
- A separate section for each type of applicant.
- Real dates and real numbers.
- What to send, and to whom, so emails arrive with the right information.
- An honest note when nothing is open.
6. Contact
The Coastal Ecology Lab Room 214, Marine Sciences Building University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Lab manager: [Name, email] Media enquiries: [Email]
What makes it work: the building and room number, one contact for general questions and a separate one for media.
What to leave out
- Welcome messages (“Welcome to our lab website!”). Start with the research.
- Long lists of every grant. Put funders as logos or a single line.
- News pages you won’t update. A latest item from 2022 suggests the lab has closed. If you can’t update news every term, leave the dates off or drop the page.
- Dense jargon on the homepage. Save the technical detail for the research page.
Keep it current
The most common problem on lab websites isn’t design. It’s outdated information: students who graduated years ago still listed, and no papers after a certain date.
Set a reminder at the start of each term to update people, publications and open positions. Or have someone keep it updated for you.
I design, write and maintain websites for professors, researchers and labs. If you’d like to see what yours could look like, I’ll design and write two sections for free. Request your samples.
Frequently asked questions
What should a research lab website include?
A homepage with a one-line description of the lab's work, a research page, a people page, a publications page, a page for prospective students and postdocs, and contact details with the lab's location.
Who is a lab website for?
Mostly prospective PhD students and postdocs, then collaborators, funders and journalists. Write the homepage so a strong undergraduate in a nearby field understands it.
Should a lab website be separate from the PI's personal website?
Usually yes. The lab site is about the group and its research, and it changes as people come and go. The PI's personal site covers books, talks, media and their career. Link the two to each other.
How often should a lab website be updated?
At least once a term: new members, people who have left, new papers and any open positions. An out-of-date people page is the most common problem on lab sites.