Rajeev Motwani - Google Mentor Dead

A computer science professor who mentored Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin and may have been instrumental in the search engine's creation has been found dead in his swimming pool.

Rajeev Motwani, 47, a Stanford University professor, was reportedly found dead in the swimming pool of his California home on Friday.

The cause of death is not yet known, but friends said Mr Motwani could not swim and was planning to learn, The Stanford University website said. Mr Brin, who had not updated his personal blog since last September, posted a tribute to Mr Motwani soon after news of his death emerged.

He said Mr Motwani had inspired numerous technological advances.

"It is with great sadness that I write about the passing of my teacher and good friend Professor Rajeev Motwani," he wrote.

Mr Brin described Mr Motwani as "a very kind and amicable person" who was instrumental in Mr Brin's "research, education, and professional development".

"Later, when Larry [Page] and I began to work together on the research that would lead to Google, Rajeev was there to support us and guide us through challenges, both technical and organisational.

"Of all the faculties at Stanford, it is with Rajeev that I have stayed the closest and I will miss him dearly.

"Today, whenever you use a piece of technology, there is a good chance a little bit of Rajeev Motwani is behind it."

Mr Motwani was born in Jammu, India, and grew up in New Delhi.

He completed a computer science degree from the Indian Institute of Technology and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

He had a wife, Asha Jadeja, and two daughters.