Texas: Indian-origin philanthropists Anuradha and Vikas Sinha have donated $20 million to the University of North Texas, helping establish a new college dedicated to artificial intelligence and advanced analytics.
In recognition of their contribution, the institution will be named the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics.
The new college will focus on the development, practical application and responsible use of artificial intelligence, intelligent systems and data analytics. It will bring together academic programmes and specialists from AI, cybersecurity, data science, health informatics, information science, library science and learning technologies.
Donation to Create Six Permanent Endowments
The $20-million contribution will finance six permanent endowments supporting:
- College leadership
- Student scholarships
- Endowed professorships
- Entrepreneurship and business incubation
- Advanced academic research
- Emerging technologies
The investment will also support the Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Institute, which is expected to promote interdisciplinary research, shared infrastructure, external funding and partnerships with industries.
Who Are Anuradha and Vikas Sinha?
Vikas Sinha earned his PhD in information science, with a concentration in data science, from the University of North Texas in 2023. He was working as a vice president at Broadcom when he decided to pursue the doctoral programme.
Anuradha and Vikas moved to the United States as international students. The couple said their contribution was intended to expand educational opportunities and help students—particularly first-generation college-goers and immigrants—transform their futures through education.
Their association with the university predates the latest donation. In 2024, the family contributed more than $3 million to establish the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Department of Data Science. They later donated another $2.15 million to create the Sinha Innovation Lab for Data Science.
The latest donation marks one of the most significant philanthropic partnerships in the university’s history and comes as educational institutions worldwide expand research and training programmes around artificial intelligence.
UNT President Harrison Keller said the new college would help students and faculty build, study and responsibly apply emerging technologies while preparing graduates for an increasingly AI-driven employment market.
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