Nova, who described herself as an author, engineer, computer scientist, and alpinist, was best known for her work on Linux, Kubernetes, and Aurae. She also co-founded The Nivenly Foundation in 2023. The foundation’s purpose was to serve as moderators for Hachyderm, a social media for technical professionals that she helped create.

Following her death, The Nivenly Foundation expressed their anguish through a poignant statement and said:

“It is with immense sadness that we must share with you the news of the loss of our friend, our leader, and our mentor, Kris Nóva. It was Nóva who inspired us to come together to build Pachyderm, whose vision created Nivenly, and whose mission we continue to carry forward.”