About us
thesecovers was born in the cozy living room of two friends—Zhenya and Anastasiia—both physicists by training, both with PhDs, and both passionate about art in their own way. It all started with a shared frustration: why do PhD theses, these monumental bodies of work that represent years of dedication and discovery, so often get wrapped in dull, boring covers?
We thought:
What if the outside of the thesis reflected the beauty and effort of the work inside?
What if we could listen to your story, learn about your research, and create a thesis cover that truly represents you and your work?
From this idea, thesecovers was born—a small, heartfelt project combining artistic vision and a deep understanding of the PhD journey.
Zhenya
Hi, I’m Zhenya—a quantum engineer, artist, and co-founder of thesecovers. I have a PhD in physics and currently work at a quantum computing startup. My love for art began during my university years, and over time, I developed it alongside my scientific career.
I started with classical drawing, studying at an art school, creating pieces for exhibitions, and selling my work. Eventually, I became fascinated with applied art and illustration. My first PhD thesis cover was for a friend—a fellow researcher. Designing it was so fulfilling that I knew I wanted to keep doing it. It allowed me to merge my two worlds: art and science.
Since then, I’ve worked with both digital and physical mediums to design covers that reflect the unique stories behind each thesis. When Anastasiia and I talked about this over dinner one evening, we realized we could bring these custom covers to more people—and thesecovers was born.
Anastasiia
Hi, I’m Anastasiia—a business process and product manager with a PhD in physics. After leaving academia, I discovered a new passion for business operations and product development. But my love for art never left me.
I saw Zhenya turning her artistic talent into something extraordinary—her paintings, exhibitions, and then these incredible PhD thesis covers. I still remember thinking how much I wished I had something like that for my own thesis; instead, I ended up with a very generic and boring cover.
One evening over dinner, Zhenya shared how much joy and demand there was for these custom covers. That’s when it clicked for me—I could combine my experience in business development with my appreciation for art. Together, we created thesecovers, a project where we bring beautiful, meaningful designs to life for PhD graduates.