The University of Sydney has become the top recipient of philanthropic funding in New South Wales after Bangladeshi-born Australian billionaire Robin Khuda donated $100 million to encourage more young women to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
Khuda, the founder of tech company AirTrunk, is financing a 20-year initiative designed to address the lack of female representation in STEM fields, particularly in western Sydney, The Guardian reported earlier this month.
University of Sydney Vice Chancellor Mark Scott said he and Khuda had spent two years developing the program. The $100-million contribution marked the largest individual donation in both the university’s and the state’s history, he added.
Khuda, who launched his philanthropic foundation in 2020 to promote women's involvement in technology, previously gained attention last year for distributing $22 million in bonuses to over 300 employees following the $24-billion acquisition of AirTrunk by US private equity giant Blackstone.
Having moved from Bangladesh to Australia at 18, Khuda settled in western Sydney and established his first data centre in 2017.
Reflecting on the Blackstone deal, he expressed his desire to give back and create lasting social change, emphasizing his belief in the value of diversity in STEM.
Khuda said he had chosen the University of Sydney, instead of the local institution the University of Western Sydney and his alma mater, UTS, because of its “outstanding” academic, research and teaching reputation.
“The women who graduate from this program will have attended one of the best universities in the world,” he said.
