Academic Website Setup Instructions

Files to Replace/Add

After creating your repo from the MM starter template, replace these files:

1. Replace _config.yml

Copy the new _config.yml to your repo root (overwrites existing file)

2. Replace index.md

Copy the new index.md to your repo root (overwrites existing file)

3. Replace/Create _data/navigation.yml

Copy to _data/navigation.yml (overwrites existing file)

4. Add assets/css/main.scss

Create folder assets/css/ if it doesn’t exist, then copy main.scss

5. Add your profile photo

Add your headshot as: assets/images/bio-photo.jpg

• Minimum 500x500px
• Professional photo
• Neutral background

6. Add your CV (optional)

Add your CV PDF as: assets/CV_MuhammadAtifButt.pdf

Command Summary

# Navigate to your repo
cd C:\Users\mabutt\Desktop\moatifbutt.github.io

# Copy the 4 files from this folder
# (Replace: _config.yml, index.md, _data/navigation.yml)
# (Add: assets/css/main.scss)

# Add your images
# - assets/images/bio-photo.jpg (your headshot)
# - assets/CV_MuhammadAtifButt.pdf (your CV)

# Commit and push
git add .
git commit -m "Initial academic website setup"
git push origin main

What Gets Updated

✅ Site title and description
✅ Your bio and research statement
✅ Social links (Scholar, GitHub, LinkedIn, Twitter)
✅ Navigation menu (About, News, Publications, Awards, Service, CV)
✅ All publications from your CV
✅ News section with 2025/2026 updates
✅ Awards section
✅ Service section
✅ Collaborators section
✅ Clean styling

After Pushing

1. Wait 1-2 minutes for GitHub Pages to build
2. Visit: https://moatifbutt.github.io
3. Check that everything looks correct
4. Update any missing links (PDFs, project pages, code repos)

Customization

Change color scheme

Edit _config.yml line 9:

minimal_mistakes_skin: "air"

Options: air, aqua, contrast, dark, dirt, neon, mint, plum, sunrise

Add paper thumbnails (later)

1. Create folder: assets/images/papers/
2. Add images: colorpeel.jpg, rs100k.jpg, etc.
3. Update index.md to reference them

Update content

Edit index.md — all content is in this single file

Troubleshooting

Site not building?

• Check GitHub Actions: Settings → Pages → Build status
• Look for YAML syntax errors in _config.yml

Images not showing?

• Check file path is correct (case-sensitive)
• Make sure image is committed: git add assets/images/...

Navigation not working?

• Check _data/navigation.yml exists
• Check anchor links match section names in index.md

File Structure

Your final repo should look like:

moatifbutt.github.io/
├── _config.yml              ← REPLACE
├── _data/
│   └── navigation.yml       ← REPLACE
├── assets/
│   ├── css/
│   │   └── main.scss       ← ADD NEW
│   ├── images/
│   │   └── bio-photo.jpg   ← ADD YOUR PHOTO
│   └── CV_MuhammadAtifButt.pdf  ← ADD YOUR CV
├── index.md                 ← REPLACE
├── Gemfile                  ← KEEP (from template)
└── README.md               ← KEEP (from template)

Next Steps

1. ✅ Replace the 4 files
2. ✅ Add your photo
3. ✅ Add your CV
4. ✅ Push to GitHub
5. ⏳ Wait 2 minutes
6. ✅ Check your site
7. 🎉 Done!