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The University of North Texas will name its new artificial intelligence college in recognition of a $20 million gift from Indian American couple Anuradha and Vikas Sinha, establishing an academic hub dedicated to the development, application and responsible use of artificial intelligence, intelligent systems and data analytics.
The Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics will expand UNT’s academic and research capacity in fields that are rapidly transforming industries, professions and society, according to a university statement.
The gift will establish six permanent endowments supporting “college leadership, student scholarships, endowed professorships, entrepreneurship and incubation, advanced research and emerging technologies.”
Together, the investments are expected to advance UNT’s priorities in student success, research and innovation while preparing graduates to work in an economy increasingly influenced by artificial intelligence and data analytics.
“Anu and I see this as an investment in what students will be able to imagine and accomplish in the years ahead,” said Vikas Sinha, who earned his doctorate from UNT in 2023. “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. 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 college will bring together programs and expertise in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science, advanced data analytics, health informatics, information science, library science and learning technologies.
It will also serve as a university-wide center for AI and analytics research and education, connecting faculty members and students across disciplines through shared infrastructure, collaborative research opportunities and partnerships with industry.
UNT said the interdisciplinary approach supports its broader effort to align education and research with the needs of employers across Texas. Students will have opportunities to work with emerging technologies, while researchers will help industries and communities respond to the changes those technologies are creating.
“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. “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, working with the Office of the Provost, plans to organize its academic programs into two complementary divisions and establish a new interdisciplinary institute.
The Division of Applied Intelligence and Informatics will concentrate on developing and deploying intelligent systems, including work in AI, cybersecurity, data science, advanced analytics and health informatics.
The Division of Information and Learning Applications will examine how information and intelligent systems operate in human and institutional settings. Its areas of focus will include information science, library science and learning technologies.
The Applied Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Institute will connect AI and analytics research and education across the university. It is expected to facilitate interdisciplinary research, shared infrastructure, external funding opportunities and industry partnerships.
Dean Kinshuk, who leads the college, said the gift’s broad scope will support the people, ideas and infrastructure required to develop a major academic and research enterprise.
“What makes this gift extraordinary is that it gives us the ability to think bigger about every part of the student and faculty experience,” Kinshuk said. “We can connect students with emerging technologies and meaningful research, recruit and support outstanding faculty, create opportunities for entrepreneurship and build partnerships that move ideas beyond the university. Our goal is not simply to teach students how to use new technologies. We want them to understand them, question them and be prepared to shape what those technologies become.”
The Sinhas’ latest commitment builds on their existing relationship with UNT. In 2024, they made a gift that established the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Department of Data Science and endowments supporting scholarships, faculty members, research and special initiatives. A year later, they funded the Sinha Innovation Lab for Data Science, which brings together information, technology and researchers.
Vikas and Anuradha Sinha came to the United States from India after each earning a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Sri Venkateswara University. Both later received graduate degrees from Florida Atlantic University. Vikas Sinha also attended Northwestern University before completing his doctorate at UNT in 2023.
He now serves as vice president of the Mainframe Software Division at Broadcom and has been a member of the UNT College of Information Leadership Board since 2023.
“Education has opened doors for us throughout our lives, and we want to hold those doors open for others,” Vikas Sinha said. “Education changed the trajectory of my life. When I came to America as an international student, someone invested in me before they knew what I might someday accomplish. That experience has stayed with me, and 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.”
Keller said international students contribute to universities and their surrounding communities in ways that extend beyond their academic degrees.
“International students come to our universities to learn, but their impact extends far beyond the degrees they earn,” Keller said. “They contribute ideas, build companies, create jobs, lead communities, and create opportunities for the generations who follow them. Vikas and Anu’s story is a powerful example of what can begin when a talented student chooses UNT.”
Brandon Buzbee, UNT’s vice president for University Advancement, said the gift reflects the Sinhas’ belief in education as a means of expanding opportunity.
“Vikas and Anu have taken something they believe deeply in, the power of education to change lives, and built a legacy around extending that opportunity to others,” Buzbee said. “Their relationship with UNT has continued to grow because their vision has continued to grow. This gift ensures that vision will keep creating opportunities long into the future.”
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