Collaborating with Claude Code to Update My Academic Website

Today I had an interesting experience collaborating with Claude Code to completely overhaul my personal academic website. As a PhD student in Geological and Earth Sciences at UT Austin, I needed to update my GitHub Pages site with real professional information instead of the placeholder content that had been sitting there.

Author: Koutian Wu; GitHub: ktwu01

The Challenge

My website (ktwu01.github.io) was built using the Academic Pages template, but it was filled with sample data - generic publications, placeholder talks, and mock teaching experiences. I had all my real information organized in LaTeX files in my cloud storage, but manually converting everything to Jekyll markdown format would have been time-consuming and error-prone.

The Collaboration Process

What impressed me most about working with Claude Code was its systematic approach:

1. Analysis Phase: Claude Code first examined the existing website structure and my source files to understand the data format and required transformations.

2. Content Verification: It carefully cross-referenced my LaTeX CV sections with the information I provided, ensuring complete accuracy including proper author attributions (asterisks for corresponding authors) and citation formats.

3. Systematic Updates: The AI methodically updated each section:

   • Publications with proper DOI links and data availability
   • Conference talks and presentations with accurate venues and dates
   • Teaching experience with detailed responsibilities
   • Portfolio projects showcasing my AI/ML and geoscience work

Technical Details

The collaboration involved updating multiple Jekyll collections:

• _publications/ - Added my JGR: Space Physics paper and education research
• _talks/ - Included presentations from AGU, NASA workshops, and JSG symposium
• _teaching/ - Documented my TA experience with Earth in 2100 (520+ students)
• _portfolio/ - Showcased my AI projects including the NCAR-funded Noah-MP research

Quality Assurance

What really stood out was Claude Code’s attention to detail. When I asked it to double-check everything, it found and fixed several accuracy issues:

• Missing corresponding author asterisks in citations
• A forgotten AGU presentation that should have been included
• Proper venue name formatting

Lessons Learned

This experience highlighted how AI tools can be incredibly effective for:

• Data Transformation: Converting between different formats (LaTeX → Markdown)
• Accuracy Verification: Cross-referencing multiple data sources
• Best Practice Compliance: Ensuring proper Jekyll formatting and academic standards
• Systematic Organization: Managing complex, multi-file updates

The key was providing Claude Code with comprehensive source materials and being explicit about accuracy requirements. The “double-check everything” approach caught important details that could have been missed.

Looking Forward

As someone working at the intersection of AI and geoscience, this collaboration was a practical demonstration of how AI tools can augment academic workflows. The website now accurately reflects my research on explainable AI for Noah-MP land surface modeling, my internships developing AI evaluation systems, and my broader work in space physics and Earth system science.

The updated site serves as both a professional portfolio and a testament to effective human-AI collaboration in academic contexts.

This post was written on September 17, 2025, immediately after completing the website updates with Claude Code assistance.