Can you help me set up a web site for my research group?

There are two parts to this issue... depending on the desired nature of the website. We support three applications in this area.
1) Drupal and Plone : these are examples of Content Management Systems, which allow groups of people to contribute to the development and maintenance of a website, and largely through a browser-based interface. They can provide a visually rich environment for the site (so that it is pleasing to the eye, informative and content-rich) and are a good option when a collaborative and configurable site with a strong public-facing side is required. Site-member roles and permissions may be managed at a fine level.
2) Sakai : originally developed for the educational sector, Sakai is useful for developing group-maintained, information-rich collaborative sites. The emphasis is more on ways to organise groups of people and share information, than on producing visuallly-rich sites with a strong public face. A Sakai site is configured with a number of selectable Tools which have a collaborative theme- Calendar, Schedule, Announcements, Forums, Wiki, Resouces (file utility), and others- and the overall intent is that the site is an aid to effective research collaboration. There can be public display of content- but this is in a quite simple, textual format. As with Drupal, site-member roles and permissions may be controlled.
So- if you're after what is more generally thought of as a website, then Drupal or Plone may well be the preferred option. If you are after a site (a "project site", in Sakai parlance) that primarily will be used as an aid for organising your research group, then Sakai may be more applicable.
In the first instance, contact the Help Desk for more information.