Meet The Team

Ana Marija Sokovic is a Computational Scientist interested in stimulating innovation in communities through the power of a growth mindset by partnering across campus and beyond to advance areas including research support, cloud enablement, data as an enabler, and equitable access to technology for marginalized populations. Throughout her career Ana has gained valuable expertise in developing computational pipelines, algorithms, and data analysis for research projects. For Ana, empowering women and minorities in high-performance computing is crucial because it fosters diversity and inclusion, bringing valuable perspectives and talent to the field. Providing support and opportunities for underrepresented groups can lead to innovation, address biases, and drive positive change in the high-performance computing community, as highlighted by the expertise and experiences of leaders like Ana and the other women of WHPC.

In her free time, Ana enjoys supporting South Shore community's cultural events, various environmental initiatives and programming for youth. Ana is passionate about finding bridges between cultures, reading and swimming in the lake :)

Amira is currently a computational scientist at the Advanced Cyberinfrastructure for education and research at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering and has over 15 years of experience in computational sciences and machine learning. She specializes in bioinformatics and biomedical analysis to solve biological problems. She’s been using HPC for over a decade to analyze big data in Genomics, transcriptomics and Proteomics. She has special interest in teaching STEM topics like data science and high-performance computing to a diversity of students from different ages and backgrounds. During her free times, Amira enjoys volunteering and likes trying different cuisines and swimming. She’s also passionate about outdoor activities and gets very excited when discovering new places and cultures, in addition to  learning new skills.

Beth has over 22 years of experience in creative leadership, marketing communications, and communications strategy for high-performance computing. Since 2012, she has been the head of communications for the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility.

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She focuses on leading a team of writers and designers to create public and technical communications for users, staff, potential collaborators, and the Department of Energy.

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Her research interests include improving the user community's experience at the ALCF balancing user and business needs with technology and staffing constraints.

Paige Kinsley is the Education Outreach Lead at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF), assisting staff in the development and leading of training and outreach activities across the facility, as well as acting as the central point for all education, outreach, and training activities for the ALCF. She is committed to engaging underserved populations in STEM and increasing access to resources and knowledge about the power of science and high-performance computing to change the world.

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Paige received her Ph.D. in Chemistry from University of Wisconsin – Madison and holds a B.S. in Chemistry and B.A. in Chinese Language from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Fidha Nazreen Kunnath Muhammedkutty is a Computational Biophysicist and Ph.D. candidate at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), specializing in molecular dynamics simulations of intrinsically disordered proteins, with a focus on Alzheimer’s disease. Her research spans the intersection of computational physics, structural biology, and machine learning, aiming to uncover the molecular mechanisms of protein aggregation and membrane interactions. With a robust background in simulation tools such as AMBER, NAMD, and GROMACS, and programming in Python, Tcl, C, and MATLAB, Fidha is passionate about using computation to solve complex biological problems. Throughout her academic journey, Fidha has collaborated with interdisciplinary teams, including clinicians and experimentalists, contributing to high-impact publications and conferences. She is deeply committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in computational science and actively works to support women and underrepresented minorities in STEM through her role in WHPC and as an organizer of biophysics initiatives at UIC. In her spare time, Fidha enjoys singing, dancing, and exploring food, embracing both the arts and culinary adventures. She also loves engaging in science outreach initiatives and nurturing community through academic and cultural programs.

With extensive experience in IT operations and system administration, Stuti brings a strong technical foundation and a hands-on approach to managing complex computing environments. Currently serving as a Linux System Administrator at UIC’s Advanced Cyberinfrastructure for Education and Research (ACER), she specializes in operating systems and enjoys solving real-world challenges in high-performance computing. She is passionate about promoting technology among women and fostering a supportive community where diverse voices can thrive. She believes that empowering women and underrepresented minorities in computational science is essential—not only for greater equity, but also for driving innovation and broadening the perspectives that shape the field. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her two energetic young boys, who keep her grounded and inspired.