Dr. Nihit Pokhrel is a solutions architect at Amazon Web Services (AWS). She got her Ph.D. in computational chemistry, where she investigated dynamic properties of cell membranes by the method of molecular simulation. She is passionate about using cutting edge computational technology to advance the field of natural science. As such, she works in the high-performance computing team at AWS, where she facilitates the usage of cloud computing to advance life science.
Dr. Nihit was not always interested in technology. When she started her Ph.D. in 2014, she was only motivated to do great scientific research. Very quickly, she realized that chemistry, or any research for that matter, needs to be backed up by powerful computers. Because her research was at the intersection of computer science, mathematics, and chemistry, she has also learned the importance of communication. She often communicates her research with audiences from different backgrounds and puts in a lot of time and effort to make sure she engages her audience.
Outside work, Dr. Nihit is involved in science communication and outreach. She volunteers with various organizations in Seattle, and talks to younger students, mostly minorities and underrepresented, promoting them to pursue a career in STEM.
“During my Ph.D. in Computational Chemistry, I was one of three female students in a group of 24 students. I have fought my way through lack of confidence, imposter syndrome, and being unheard. As women in computing, it is imperative that we support each other and help get past these barriers. That is why I am a member of Nepali Women in Computing.”
As someone with a diverse set of expertise and experiences, Dr. Nihit has been a great asset to Nepali Women in Computing (NWiC). She has been helping our team members prepare for interviews, and assist them with their job application process. She also offers workshops on cloud computing to help students leverage AWS resources for free to start their cloud journey. In addition, she has been inspiring younger girls to understand that they are smart, wise, and can revolutionize the tech world. NWiC is grateful to Dr. Nihit for reinforcing what we as women in computing stand for through her works inside and outside of NWiC.
