Postgres Woman of the Year August 2026 - Divya Bhargov

Introduction:

I’m Divya Bhargov, and I lead work across the PostgreSQL engine, extensions, reliability, and performance for Azure Database for PostgreSQL at Microsoft. Within the Postgres community, I speak at conferences, support community events, work closely with users and customers, and encourage engineers on my teams to contribute to open source. The most meaningful part for me is seeing engineers grow from their first Postgres contribution into long-term contributors, with some going on to become committers.

Journey in PostgreSQL`

I first came to Postgres through Greenplum, where I worked on the engineering effort to prepare the product for its open-source transition. That experience gave me a much deeper appreciation for Postgres, both as a technology and as a community. From there, I moved into engineering leadership across Greenplum and PostgreSQL products at VMware, and today I work on Azure Database for PostgreSQL at Microsoft.

Can you share a pivotal moment or project in your PostgreSQL career that has been particularly meaningful to you?

A pivotal moment for me was joining Microsoft and moving into Azure Database for PostgreSQL. It gave me the chance to apply what I had learned from Postgres-based systems to a managed cloud service, while learning from a much broader group of customers and engineers. It has been especially meaningful to see ideas shaped by real production problems turn into improvements that can help many customers.

Contributions and Achievements:

I’m proud every time we help unblock a customer, because Postgres supports systems people depend on every day, from hospitals and banks to public services and growing businesses. I see my role as a bridge: bringing lessons from real customer problems back to the Postgres community, and bringing community improvements back to customers.
I’ve contributed through conference talks, volunteering, technical education, and supporting engineers who contribute back to open source.

(II)  Have you faced any challenges in your work with PostgreSQL, and how did you overcome them?

One of my biggest challenges was moving from application development into database engineering with little Postgres experience. I was fortunate to work with excellent engineers who welcomed my questions, and pair programming helped me learn by working through real problems alongside them.

Community Involvement:

I engage through conference talks, technical discussions, mentoring, and conversations with Postgres users and customers. I’ve spoken at PGConf India, POSETTE, and PG Summit NYC, and have supported events through talk selection and hosting. At Microsoft, I also encourage and support engineers on my teams as they contribute their work back to the PostgreSQL open-source community.

(II) Can you share your experience with mentoring or supporting other women in the PostgreSQL ecosystem?

I’ve been fortunate to work with many women who were already highly motivated and eager to grow. My role has often been to listen, encourage them, help remove obstacles, and make sure they had opportunities to take on meaningful work and receive recognition for it.

Insights and Advice:

It’s okay not to know, and it’s always okay to ask questions. Customer issues and production incidents are a goldmine because they show how Postgres really behaves under pressure and where the gaps are between expected and actual behavior. Stay curious and keep learning from the people and problems around you.

(II)  Are there any resources (books, courses, forums) you’d recommend to someone looking to deepen their PostgreSQL knowledge?

PostgreSQL documentation and conference talks are good starting points. Following patch discussions in an area that interests you can also be a great way to learn because you get to see how contributors think through design choices, tradeoffs, testing, and review. I have also learned a great deal from working closely with Postgres contributors and committers. AI can help answer questions along the way, but I would still validate what you learn through documentation and hands-on experimentation.

Looking Forward:

I’m especially interested in improvements that make Postgres more reliable and easier to operate in production, particularly around upgrades, recovery, replication, and diagnostics. These may not always be the flashiest changes, but they make a real difference when customers depend on Postgres every day.
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(II)  Do you have any upcoming projects or goals within the PostgreSQL community that you can share?

I’d like to keep helping more engineers make their first Postgres contributions and grow into active community members. I also hope to share more of what we learn from running Postgres at scale through talks, technical discussions, and open-source contributions.

Personal Reflection:

Being part of the Postgres community means being surrounded by people who are generous with their knowledge and serious about building software that lasts. I have learned a great deal from this community, and I value the chance to give back by sharing what I know, supporting others, and helping more people find their place in it.

(II)  How do you balance your professional and personal life, especially in a field that is constantly evolving?

I’m fortunate to work with people I genuinely like and respect, which makes the demanding days easier. The balance is not always perfect, and I have learned to focus on what matters, make time to recharge, and forgive myself when I cannot do everything.

Message to the community

There is room for you in the Postgres community. You do not need to know everything before joining the conversation or making your first contribution. Ask questions, stay curious, and find people who support your growth. When you are able, do the same for someone else.