A $20 million gift from Anuradha and Vikas Sinha will accelerate the University of North Texas’ work in artificial intelligence and advanced analytics while creating new opportunities for students and faculty.
In recognition of the gift, UNT will name the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics[link to longer news story]. The college will serve as an academic and research hub focused on artificial intelligence, intelligent systems and data analytics, bringing together expertise in areas including AI, cybersecurity, data science, advanced analytics, health informatics, information science, library science and learning technologies.
“Artificial intelligence will be one of the defining technologies of our generation, and universities have an essential role to play in preparing the people who will shape its future,” Vikas Sinha said. “What excites us about UNT’s vision is that this college will go beyond teaching students how to use AI. It will prepare them to build it, understand it, question it, govern it and apply it responsibly — developing both the builders and the stewards of intelligent systems.”
The gift will establish six permanent endowments supporting college leadership, student scholarships, endowed professorships, entrepreneurship and incubation, advanced research and emerging technologies.
“Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how we work, conduct research and solve problems, and universities have an important responsibility to help shape what comes next,” said UNT President Harrison Keller, Ph.D. “The Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics positions UNT to lead in that work. Vikas and Anu’s commitment will create new opportunities for our students and faculty to build, study and apply these technologies while advancing central priorities of our Look North: UNT 2030 strategic plan — reshaping how we prepare students for a changing labor market, accelerating interdisciplinary research and innovation, and creating enduring value for North Texas and the state.”
The college will be organized around two academic divisions: the Division of Applied Intelligence and Informatics, focused on building and deploying intelligent systems, and the Division of Information and Learning Applications, focused on how information and intelligent systems operate within human and institutional contexts.
The college also will house the Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Institute, which will connect AI and analytics research and education across UNT and create opportunities for interdisciplinary research, shared infrastructure, external research funding and industry partnerships.
Vikas and Anu Sinha[link to feature story] came to the United States from India to continue their education after each earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Sri Venkateswara University. They both also earned graduate degrees from Florida Atlantic University, with Vikas going on to Northwestern University before earning his Ph.D. from UNT in 2023. Vikas now serves as vice president of the Mainframe Software Division at Broadcom and has served on the UNT College of Information Leadership Board since 2023.
The Sinhas’ investment in UNT has grown alongside their involvement with the university. In 2024, they gave a gift establishing the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Department of Data Science, along with endowments supporting scholarships, faculty, research and special initiatives. A year later, they made another major gift, creating the Sinha Innovation Lab for Data Science.
“Education has opened doors for us throughout our lives, and we want to hold those doors open for others,” Vikas Sinha said. “It is a large part of why Anu and I believe so strongly in what UNT can make possible for students — including those who may come here from another country carrying the same ambition and belief in education that we once did. For us, this gift is about paying that opportunity forward and recognizing that immigrants don’t simply participate in the American dream — they help build it.”
The gift will advance UNT’s goals around student success, research and innovation while helping prepare graduates for a workforce increasingly shaped by AI and data. UNT will celebrate the naming of the college with a university event later this year.
About the University of North Texas (UNT)
The University of North Texas is a Carnegie R1 public research university and the largest university in Dallas-Fort Worth — one of the most dynamic regions in the world. Through its campuses in Denton and Frisco, Texas, UNT serves nearly 44,000 students with 230 degree programs and awarded more than 13,000 degrees last year. UNT proudly serves in the vanguard of leading American universities willing to measure success by how well we educate and support every qualified student who commits to learning with us. We deliver outcomes that matter to students, families, employers, and the nation, as a public university committed to create enduring value for the public good.
