On Air, On Track: Doctoral Voices Beyond the Thesis — Producing a Podcast Series with Alumni (431)

20 October and 3 November 2026

Dr Ruxandra Stoicescu

Combining critical reflection with practical experimentation, the workshop introduces participants to the fundamentals of podcast production - from editorial design and interviewing techniques to recording, editing, and post-production. Participants will produce a short podcast episode based on an interview with a doctoral alumna or alumnus, contributing to a collective audio series developed within the transversal programme.

The workshop pursues a twofold objective: first, to highlight the range of professional opportunities opened up by a doctorate; second, to provide participants with a creative space in which to develop transferable skills such us interviewing, script writing and digital communication.

Because of its strongly participatory format, the workshop requires active engagement throughout the entire process, including collaborative production work between the two sessions. To register, please send an email to competences(at)cuso(dot)ch ("Podacst workshop" in the object), specifying: 

• Your field of study and university affiliation;
• The status of your thesis;
• Your motivations for participating in the project.

Workshop content

Day 1 - Editorial conception and interviewing

Participants will be introduced to podcasting as a specific audio format and reflect on the differences between podcasts, radio interviews, and academic lectures. Together, they will explore the structure of a short-form episode, narrative pacing, the role of the voice, and the possible use of ambient sound. The session will also focus on interviewing practices: preparation, question design, active listening, follow-up questions, and the ethics of consent and representation. Participants will then conduct test interviews in pairs and become familiar with recording equipment and basic sound recording techniques.

Between sessions, participants will work (in pairs, individually or in group) to produce their episode: contacting an alumna or alumnus, preparing and recording the interview, and carrying out a first critical listening of the collected material.

Day 2 - Editing and post-production

The second session will focus on post-production techniques, including editing, structuring, pacing, sound clean-up, level adjustment, and basic mixing. Participants will learn how to assemble a coherent and engaging short-form audio narrative using accessible editing software such as Audacity or Reaper.

 
Learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Define an editorial angle for a short podcast episode; 
• Prepare and conduct an interview that balances structure and spontaneity; 
• Record audio in technically acceptable conditions using accessible equipment; 
• Carry out basic editing and mixing using free audio software; 
• Critically assess and refine their own audio productions; 
• Collaborate on the production of a collective audio project. 

Participants will leave the workshop with a completed episode ready to be integrated into the podcast series developed within the programme.

University of Geneva

Date: Tuesdays 20th October and 3rd November 2026

Schedule: 9 to 5 on 20 October ; 9 to 1 on 3rd November

Place: University of Geneva

Language: You can produce your podcast in English or in French. Theory will be provided in English

Trainer:

Dr Ruxandra Stoicescu is a researcher and a podcast producer and director. Specialised in international relations and in political and cultural analysis, trained both in academic research (London School of Economics, Geneva Graduate Institute) and in radio journalism, she works at the interface between the world of research and that of media communication. She is the producer of the podcast Tales of the World, devoted to the connections between major historical events and everyday lives, as well as of the series Une histoire de la dette (blog Le fin mot de l'Histoire, Le Temps). She has also produced series for the Small Arms Survey and co-founded RoadMap Media. She regularly intervenes as a teacher and trainer in communication and science mediation for academic institutions in French-speaking Switzerland, and works as a consultant supporting research teams and institutional projects with their communication needs. This dual grounding - in research and in audio production - enables her to support doctoral students both with the intellectual demands of the format and with its technical and narrative constraints.

Participants are eligible for reimbursement of incurred travel expenses by train between the city of their university and the location of the workshop (half-fare card, 2nd class).

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