An Indian-origin couple in the US has committed $20 million to the University of Texas to establish a College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics to be named after them. This is so far the largest contribution received by the varsity for its artificial intelligence and advanced analytics programme.
According to the University, the college will be named Anuradha and Vikas Sinha College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics to recognise the couple’s contribution to the college’s establishment. President of the University of Texas, Harrison Keller, expressed gratitude for the couple’s contribution and praised their belief in the students of the varsity.
“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,” Keller said.
Anuradha and Vikas Sinha are paying opportunity forward with a $20M gift to establish UNT’s new College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics. I’m grateful for their belief in our students and UNT’s role in shaping what comes next. https://t.co/Nk2YEqz3ol pic.twitter.com/rDqJzbeC5M
— Harrison Keller, Ph.D. (@UNTPrez) September 8, 2026
The couple, who came to the US to pursue higher education, attach great significance to education. They obtained their bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering at Sri Venkateswara University in Uttar Pradesh (India), after which they moved to the US and pursued graduate studies at Florida Atlantic University. Vikas Sinha went on to study at Northwestern University before completing his doctorate at UNT.
Immigrants also help build the American dream: Vikas Sinha
“Education has opened doors for us throughout our lives, and we want to hold those doors open for others. For us, this gift is about paying that opportunity forward and recognising that immigrants don’t simply participate in the American dream; they help build it,” said Vikas Sinha, who earned his PhD from UNT in 2023. Sinha said. “Anu and I see this as an investment in what students will be able to imagine and accomplish in the years ahead,” he added.
Vikas Sinha is currently vice president of the Mainframe Software Division at Broadcom and has served on the UNT College of Information Leadership Board since 2023.
According to the university, the monetary contribution will accelerate its work in “artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, creating new opportunities for students and faculty in fields rapidly reshaping industries, professions, and society”. The amount donated by the couple will fund six permanent endowments supporting college leadership, student scholarships, endowed professorships, entrepreneurship and incubation, advanced research, and emerging technologies, the university said.
The upcoming college will offer programmes and research in artificial intelligence, data analytics, cybersecurity, health informatics, information science, and learning technologies.
The couple has provided financial support to the academic institution in the past. Last year, they made a major contribution to the creation of the Sinha Innovation Lab for Data Science. A year before that, in 2024, they supported UNT’s data science programmes and helped establish the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Department of Data Science.
