PI-hub

PI-hub

A research hub for the Principal Investigator. Projects, team, paper deadlines, and an exploration log — all in one place, all on your device.

Open the dashboard →View on GitHub

What PI-hub does

Projects

Plan, set up, and journal each project. Track status (exploration → planning → active → paused → archived), description, Discord / Overleaf links, contributors, artifacts, and an append-only exploration log.

Team members

A first-class roster with avatars, role, affiliation, GitHub, and expertise. Assign or unassign members to any project from either side via a toggle.

Deadlines & call-for-papers

Track conferences with abstract / submission / notification / conference dates. A timeline visualization plus a live D:HH:MM:SS countdown to the next deadline. Each project assigned to a CFP carries an assessment status: not started, in progress, submitted, accepted, rejected, late, abandoned.

PI profile

Identity, affiliation, contact, online profiles (ORCID, Google Scholar, GitHub, LinkedIn, X), bio, focus areas, expertise tags, education, and selected publications.

Dashboard

Top-3 upcoming deadlines with countdowns, status overview donut, recent log activity, top contributors, and a project table with avatar stacks and progress bars.

PDF reports

One-click Export PDF on any project produces a well-spaced, paginated report with overview, plan, setup, team, target venues with status, artifacts, and the full log. Generated in your browser — never uploaded.

Archive, don't delete

Projects, members, and CFPs are archived (hidden) rather than deleted. The Archives page restores any item with one click, or permanently deletes after a double-confirmation.

Installable PWA

Install PI-hub from your browser's address bar to get a real dock/home-screen icon. The installed app launches in its own window and works fully offline after the first visit.

Your data stays on your device

PI-hub has no backend. Nothing you type leaves your browser. There is no account, no sign-in, no telemetry, and no remote database.

Every project, member, CFP, and log entry lives in this browser's IndexedDB, scoped to the origin (the domain you visit) and the browser profile you're using. The host that served you the app sees only that you loaded a static HTML/JS bundle — the same way you'd load any website.

Local-only storage

IndexedDB is a real database that lives inside your browser. It survives reloads and reboots. It is never sent over the network by PI-hub.

Works offline

A service worker caches the app shell after your first visit. You can launch and use PI-hub with no internet connection.

No tracking

No analytics, no cookies, no third-party scripts beyond the bundled libraries. The footer link to eSPUD opens in a new tab; nothing else phones home.

Per-device, per-profile

Chrome on your laptop is a separate dataset from Safari on your iPad. Firefox profile A is separate from Firefox profile B. Plan for that — see backup below.

Keeping your data safe

Because data lives in your browser, you are responsible for backups. Treat this app like a notebook on your desk: the only copy is the one you have.

Do this regularly

  • Open Settings and click Download JSON (or Download ZIP) every week or two. Keep the file somewhere safe — your cloud drive, a USB stick, or your home directory.
  • Before any browser update, OS reinstall, or laptop reset, run a backup first.
  • Before you visit Settings → Wipe everything, take a fresh backup. Wipe is irreversible.

What can lose data

  • Browser clears site data. Clearing "cookies and site data" for this site also wipes IndexedDB. Some browsers do this automatically for sites you haven't visited in a long time.
  • Disk pressure eviction. If your disk fills up, the browser may evict storage for sites it considers low-priority. Installed PWAs get higher priority than tabs, which is one good reason to install PI-hub.
  • Incognito / Private windows. Data entered in these windows is discarded when you close the last private tab. Use a normal window.
  • Uninstalling the PWA can also clear its storage, depending on the browser. Back up first.
  • Switching browsers or devices. Edge cannot read Chrome's IndexedDB; your iPhone can't read your laptop's. Use Settings → Download / Restore to move data between them.

Restoring from a backup

  1. Open Settings on the device where you want the data.
  2. Click Restore and pick the JSON or ZIP backup file.
  3. Items with the same id are overwritten. To restore into an empty slate, click Wipe everything first.

Getting started

  1. Set up your PI profile — name, affiliation, focus areas.
  2. Create your first project.
  3. Add team members and assign them to projects.
  4. Add a call-for-papers and target your project at it.
  5. Take your first backup from Settings.
  6. Install PI-hub: in Chrome / Edge, click the install icon (⊕) in the address bar. On macOS Safari, File → Add to Dock. On iOS, Share → Add to Home Screen.

Open-source under the MIT license. Built by eSPUD. Issues and pull requests welcome at github.com/eSPUD/PI-hub.