'This Is Purdue' Podcast

The official podcast of Purdue University, This Is Purdue, showcases stories of faculty, students and alumni that link research and practice to real-world outcomes and public conversation. The team pursued a clear objective to expand unaffiliated audiences and to position the university as a global thought leader through narrative-driven interviews and accessible explanations of complex topics.

The production staff invested in a new studio, diversified episode formats and staged live recordings at festivals and partner events to improve sound quality, attract high-profile guests and create shareable moments. Distribution focused on YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify, while social promotion, interactive segments and listener feedback loops sustained engagement across time zones, and the team optimized metadata, search, discovery and recommendations across platforms.

The content team curated guests ranging from athletics coaches and semiconductor researchers to Disney technical directors to show the university’s breadth and humanize technical work. That strategy reached more than 10.8 million combined podcast listens and YouTube views as of December 2025, elevating visibility in education charts and third-party rankings and prompting inquiries from international media and prospective partners.

Partnerships with media brands and live-event hosts amplified reach and created opportunities for cross-promotion and audience acquisition in international markets. The team continues to grow production capacity, refine storytelling and convert listeners into engaged community members who amplify Purdue’s research and impact and support collaborative initiatives.

Host Kate Young anchors episodes with a consistent narrative structure and rigorous booking and editorial standards that allow experts to explain methods, share career lessons and connect technical advances to everyday life. The team measures impact through listener surveys, platform analytics and partner feedback to refine topic selection, to test new segments and formats and to plan localization, translation and targeted promotion for specific international markets and multilingual distribution.