The Campus Review
September 11, 2026
Indian-origin couple Anuradha and Vikas Sinha made a $20 million donation to UNT to support artificial intelligence and advanced analytics education and research. The gift will establish the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics at the University of North Texas.
The new college will bring together programs in AI, cybersecurity, data science, health informatics, information science, and learning technologies. The donation will also create six permanent endowments for college leadership, scholarships, faculty, entrepreneurship, research, and emerging technologies.
The gift builds on the couple’s earlier support for UNT, including the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Department of Data Science in 2024 and the Sinha Innovation Lab for Data Science in 2025.
Details of the University of North Texas $20 Million Donation
| Feature | Sourced Details |
| Donors | Anuradha and Vikas Sinha |
| Commitment | $20 million donation to UNT |
| Institution | University of North Texas (UNT), Denton, Texas |
| Named Entity | Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics |
| Academic Divisions | Division of Applied Intelligence and Informatics; Division of Information and Learning Applications |
| Research Arm | Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Institute |
| College Leadership | Kinshuk serves as dean |
Who Are Anuradha and Vikas Sinha?
Anuradha and Vikas Sinha began their academic journeys in India. Both earned bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering from Sri Venkateswara University.
Both later pursued graduate education at Florida Atlantic University.
Vikas Sinha continued his academic work at Northwestern University before enrolling in the doctoral program at UNT. He completed his Ph.D. in information science with a concentration in data science at UNT in 2023.
Professionally, Vikas Sinha serves as vice president of the Mainframe Software Division at Broadcom. His connection to UNT has continued beyond his doctoral studies, and Sinha has served on the UNT College of Information Leadership Board since 2023.
Timeline of the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Donation to UNT
The $20 million commitment is the couple’s latest major gift to the university:
- 2024: Anuradha and Vikas Sinha provided an initial gift establishing the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Department of Data Science.
- 2025: The couple made another major contribution to create the Sinha Innovation Lab for Data Science.
- 2026: They committed the $20 million gift to establish the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics.
What the $20 Million Donation to UNT Will Fund
The gift establishes dedicated funding across multiple institutional priorities. UNT confirmed that the $20 million donation by an Indian-origin couple creates six permanent endowments:
| Area | Purpose |
| College leadership | Guide the new AI college |
| Student scholarships | Expand student opportunities |
| Endowed professorships | Attract and retain expert faculty |
| Entrepreneurship and incubation | Turn ideas into new ventures |
| Advanced research | Strengthen AI and analytics research |
| Emerging technologies | Advance work in new technologies |
Structure of the New College
According to UNT, the new college will organize its academic operations through two distinct divisions and a dedicated cross-campus research institute:
1. Division of Applied Intelligence and Informatics
This division focuses on building, testing, and deploying intelligent systems. It will train students in machine learning frameworks, system architecture, cybersecurity, and practical computing implementations.
2. Division of Information and Learning Applications
This division examines how information and intelligent systems operate within human, social, and institutional contexts. It addresses ethical considerations, information governance, library science, and learning technologies.
3. Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Institute
Housed within the college, this institute will connect artificial intelligence and analytics research across the wider UNT campus. It is designed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, build shared research infrastructure, secure external research funding, and establish partnerships with private industry.
In Their Own Words
Reflecting on their journey as former international students, Vikas Sinha explained that their gift is aimed at opening opportunities for future generations. He noted that education altered the course of his life, adding:
“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.”
Addressing the broader role of higher AI education, Sinha explained that universities hold a vital responsibility in training future leaders. He emphasized that UNT’s vision for the college extends beyond basic technical usage:
“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.”
Kinshuk, dean of the college, noted that the gift enables UNT to connect students with emerging technologies and research, recruit outstanding faculty, and advance external partnerships.
UNT President Harrison Keller, Ph.D., highlighted that the investment accelerates UNT’s work in artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, providing new opportunities for faculty and students.
End Note
Anuradha and Vikas Sinha began their academic journeys in India before pursuing higher education in the United States. Vikas later earned his doctoral degree from UNT.
Their latest $20 million donation to UNT strengthens their connection with the university by creating the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics. The $20 million gift will support scholarships, faculty, entrepreneurship, research, emerging technologies, and college leadership.
