The University of North Texas announced a $2.15 million gift from alumnus Vikas Sinha and his wife, Anuradha, to create the Sinha Innovation Lab for Data Science.
The new lab will be housed in UNT’s College of Information and will support student training, faculty research, and industry collaboration in a field that continues to reshape careers across every sector, the university said in June.
The gift builds on the couple’s earlier investment in UNT.
In 2024, an initial $3 million donation established the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Department of Data Science, along with endowments for scholarships, professorships, research, and special initiatives.
Their total contributions to the university now exceed $5 million.
A focus on access, and the future
Vikas Sinha, a vice president of Broadcom’s Mainframe Software Division who earned a Ph.D. from UNT, said the university’s focus on accessibility and workforce readiness made it a meaningful place to invest.
“I think the big thing about UNT always has been the inclusivity,” Sinha said. “This university is bringing people in and ensuring that they all receive a great education and are prepared for the job market.
That’s especially critical, he said, in a moment when data science is driving hiring across industries: “Right now, data science is really at the heart of the job market, regardless of the domain you’re working in.”
Sinha currently serves on the university’s College of Information Leadership Board.
A belief in education that changes families
Sinha’s path to UNT started in India, where he earned a civil engineering degree from Sri Venkateswara University. He later earned a master’s in structural and ocean engineering from Florida Atlantic University, a master’s in predictive analytics from Northwestern University, and a doctorate from UNT.
He and his wife have long focused their philanthropy on education.
“We have always believed in the gift of education,” Sinha said. “We firmly believe anything on the education front brings about a generational change.”
At UNT, the couple saw how many students were first-generation college grads. “We knew we could help change the trajectory of entire families,” he said.
A pipeline for students, research, and industry
The Sinha Innovation Lab will be housed within the Anuradha and Vikas Sinha Department of Data Science, providing a platform for students to gain hands-on experience in advanced tools and technologies while also enabling faculty to collaborate with industry partners.
“Mrs. Anuradha Sinha and Dr. Sinha have been actively transforming the future of our students,” said Dean Kinshuk of the UNT College of Information. “Their generous support to establish The Sinha Innovation Lab for Data Science will take that to new heights.”
Kinshuk described the facility as “state-of-the-art” and said it would offer students not only technical skills but opportunities to engage in research and real-world projects through industry collaboration.
Building a world-class program in North Texas
UNT President Harrison Keller called the Sinha family’s support transformative for both the university and the region.
“Their new gift will further expand opportunities through our world-class data science program, transforming education for generations of students to come,” Keller said in a statement.
Maddie Preston contributed to this report.
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