Our Team

Founder

Shreeya Dhakal

Shreeya Dhakal is an Applied Scientist driven by her dual passions: improving language technologies for low-resource languages and increasing representation of Nepali women and marginalized communities in tech. At the forefront of her efforts is the establishment of Nepali Women+ in Computing (NWiC), a volunteer-run global community of Nepali tech enthusiasts and professionals committed to fostering the growth and empowerment of women and marginalized genders in the field of computing.

She is also deeply committed to advancing low-resource NLP by developing innovative strategies to overcome data scarcity, creating effective language models, and promoting inclusive digital access for speakers of underrepresented languages. For her efforts both is applied science and community, she was recognized in the "ApplaudHer Awards: 100 Technologists to Watch 2023" list by Women Who Code, a global community of over 300,000 tech enthusiasts.

Advisor

Prakriti Regmi

Prakriti is a Machine Learning Engineer at Smart Data Solutions, where she works on Health Care Document Automation. With over two years of experience in the field, she is passionate about leveraging AI to drive impactful solutions across industries. Alongside her engineering role, she is also shaping the next generation of tech leaders as a part-time Academic Tutor at Herald College Kathmandu.

Advisor

Irina Sthapit

Irina Sthapit is an Engineer and an Innovator who graduated from Stanford University’s Learning, Design and Technology program. She completed her undergraduate degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Nepal. Passionate about empowering girls in STEM and working with tools, she is actively bridging the gender gap through her DIY content in Instagram page @girlytoolz.

Irina has represented Nepal in the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) titled ‘Hidden No More: Empowering Women Leaders in STEM’, a U.S. State Department Initiative. Also, Irina was a SDG youth representative from Nepal for the United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries and United Nations Youth Summit. She was also the 2022 Asia Foundation Development Fellow selected from Nepal.

Advisor

Anjela Manandhar

Anjela Manandhar is a computational chemist in Takeda Pharmaceuticals. Her work involves using computational tools and technology for drug design. As a researcher since 10 years, she enjoys presenting her work as a story understable to wider audience. She finished her PhD in Biochemistry from City University of New York. Besides work, she loves reading, watching movies, and having fun time with her dog.

Advisor

Pragya Neupane

Pragya Neupane is a graduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology pursuing a dual Master's in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Technology and Policy Program. She is also working as a graduate researcher where her work focuses on using Natural language Processing and Large Language Models in healthcare. She is passionate about the intersection of AI and Society. Through her work at NWIC, she hopes to contribute to a diverse and inclusive tech work force. She loves to read and write poetry, listen to Sufi music, play board games, and travel in her spare time.

President

Aachal Thapa

Aachal Thapa is a Software Engineer and currently the President of NWiC. When she's not leading NWiC Educate sessions or crafting social media content, you can find her indulging in her love for design and colors – whether it's graphic design or acrylic paintings. Aachal is a big fan of anime, especially anything from Studio Ghibli. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, hanging out with loved ones, and and volunteering with SPCA Nepal, she's a huge animal lover. Aachal is happy to have been a part of NWiC since 2019 and wishes to continue serving the community in any way she can.

Vice President (US)

Manisha Panta

Manisha Panta is a Senior Data Scientist at Intuit AI, specializing in building AI models to solve consumer problems. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of New Orleans, focused on deep learning for computer vision. Manisha is passionate about promoting diversity and inclusion in technology and data science and actively advocates for empowering women and minorities in the industry. Through her involvement in communities like NWiC+ and Women in Data Science, Nepal, she seeks continuous learning and growth while also committing herself to mentoring aspiring data scientists and technologists. Alongside her passion for AI and technology, she finds joy in cooking Nepali food, hiking, singing, and listening to music.

Vice President (Nepal)

Ojashwi Sharma

Being a woman in engineering, especially Mechanical Engineering, means facing questions about why and how women are involved in it. To change this stereotype, we definitely need a normal culture of having more women upfront. Through initiatives like NWiC, we can encourage the younger as well as elder generation to always choose the path they dream of despite the traditional stereotypes and have more girls excelling in technology and engineering, regardless of any social doubt.

Communication Manager

Bishakha Upadhyaya

Currently, a Software Engineer at Bank of America, Bishakha graduated from Knox College with a major in computer Science and minor in Neuroscience. She believes in diversity and inclusion for all in every field is passionate about creating a nurturing and supportive community for Nepalis in tech. She enjoys playing Tennis, cooking and making short videos in her free time time outside of work.

Communication Manager

Rabina Shrestha

Rabina Shrestha is a graduate student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Gandhinagar) pursuing a Master's in Computer Science and Engineering with a specialization in AI and Machine Learning. She is passionate about human-centered computing and making technology more accessible and beneficial for a broad spectrum (including the elderly and individuals with special abilities). As a part of NWiC, she aims to continuously learn as well as enhance diversity within the tech industry and empower everyone to feel included and powerful, no matter who they are.

Technical Support/Webmaster

Manwi Acharya

Manwi is an IT engineering graduate who works as a student assistant at Philipps University of Marburg, Germany, where she is also pursuing her Masters in Computer Science. She encourages people to focus on the fun side of tech – like how computer science lets us understand the digital world and simplifies everyday problems. She believes that being in tech is cool because it's all about getting to grips with the gadgets and apps we use every day, and that once we start perceiving tech as a fun playground, our learning experience becomes truly rewarding. She is fascinated by cosmic science and evolution.

Membership Coordinator

Nisha Shahi

Nisha is a Senior Software Engineer at Element 74 with a Master of Science in Computer Science and over 5 years of industry experience. She works on modern software solutions to help organizations combat Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Drug Abuse, Child Advocacy and other issues. She is passionate about leveraging modern technology and AI to make the world safer for women and children. Alongside her job, her mission is to inspire women worldwide to learn and join computing.Through her involvement with NWiC, she actively supports initiatives that inspire, retain, and uplift women in tech. She wants to see more women in technical leadership roles, more female voices in AI ethics and policy, and more girls growing up with easy access to, confidence with, and dreams to pursue STEM.

Creative Head

Ila Adhikari

Ila is a computer engineer who is passionate about projects focused on accessibility and education. She believes that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to explore diverse domains and realize their full potential. She enjoys reading and writing, tending to her plants, and finds solace in the timeless melodies of classics and ghazals. Through NWiC, she wishes to reach a lot of girls and provide them with role models that the past generations never had access to.

Fundraising Manager

Rhitu Thapa

Rhu is a Platform Software Engineer at Mouser Electronics with a passion for empowering women in tech and fitness. She believes in the power of community and growth, both in her career and personal life. When she’s not coding, she enjoys working out, cooking, and vlogging. Her ultimate goal is to inspire and uplift Nepali women through access to knowledge and strong networks.