DENTON (UNT), Texas — The University of North Texas College of Information is celebrating the official opening of the Sinha Data Science Innovation Lab, a state-of-the-art lab built at the nexus of information, people and technology, with a singular focus on preparing professionals, producing research and building community partnerships.

“The Sinha Data Science Innovation Lab is a cornerstone investment in our long-term vision,” said UNT College of Information Dean Kinshuk. “It represents a declaration of direction — a deliberate reimagining of what an adaptive and future-oriented innovation lab can be when it places an applied intelligence focus at the center of everything.”

Kinshuk said artificial intelligence, data-driven systems and the human expertise required to direct them have moved from the periphery of institutional life to its center.

“The organizations, industries and communities that will lead through this transformation are those with access to people who understand these systems deeply — and institutions prepared to produce them,” Kinshuk said. “This lab is being built to support that mission.”

Since 2024, Vikas and Anuradha Sinha have generously donated over $5 million to the UNT College of Information, establishing the Vikas and Anuradha Sinha Department of Data Science and now, the lab.

“For us, this lab is really about possibility,” Vikas Sinha said. “We hope the Sinha Data Science Innovation Lab creates an environment where students are not just learning theory, but actually solving meaningful real-world problems using AI, analytics, cybersecurity, machine learning, visualization and emerging technologies.”

Sinha earned his Ph.D. in information science with a concentration in data science from UNT in 2023 and has actively worked with the UNT College of Information to expand research opportunities and innovative learning for the next generation of students.

The North Texas region is one of the fastest-growing technology and business corridors in the country, with deep concentrations of companies in healthcare, finance, logistics, defense contracting and advanced manufacturing.

“Vikas and Anuradha’s generosity speaks to the heart of UNT’s mission,” said UNT President Harrison Keller, Ph.D. “The Sinha Data Science Lab for Innovation will expand opportunities for UNT students and faculty working at the frontiers of data science and artificial intelligence. The Sinha’s investment will help UNT recruit and support nationally competitive faculty and top doctoral students with a facility that can anchor interdisciplinary, data-driven research and transformational industry partnerships.”

Dean Kinshuk said the Sinha Data Science Innovation Lab serves as a signal to industry partners that UNT is equipped to engage.

“The lab has essentially compressed our strategic timeline by years and has given us the demonstrated infrastructure needed to attract the grants, partnerships and talent that will define our next chapter,” Kinshuk said.

Brandon Buzbee, UNT vice president for University Advancement, said the Sinha family’s commitment to strengthening the data science program at UNT is opening doors for students and broadening impact.

“The Sinha family is helping expand possibilities and minds — inspiring students to pursue paths they didn’t know were available to them and reminding us of all of the powerful things that can happen when people come together with purpose,” Buzbee said.

Sinha said he and Anuradha want the lab to help connect academia and industry more closely.

“The future belongs to students who can combine deep technical foundations with practical problem-solving and human-centered thinking,” Sinha said. “To see the department evolving into a nationally recognized hub for innovation is incredibly rewarding for our family.”