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Google Inc. has given Stanford University $2.5 million to create an endowed chair in honor of a computer science professor who mentored Google’s founders and died in a swimming accident in Atherton in June, according to the university.
Rajeev Motwani, who was 47 when he died, researched data mining with Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page when they were graduate students at Stanford.
“The breadth and depth of Rajeev’s contributions in academia and industry are unparalleled in computer science,” Brin said. “Yet they pale in comparison to the impact he had through the many researchers and entrepreneurs whom he taught and mentored.”
Motwani drowned in a backyard swimming pool accident at his Atherton home.
The endowed chair was announced Friday during a memorial service for Mr. Motwani. The university will contribute $1.5 million to help fund it.
A spokesman for the university said the new position is one of 10 endowed chairs that have been added to expand the computer science department and meet growing interest in the field.
Enrollment in the computer science program grew 12 percent last year, department chair Jennifer Widom said.
She said she hopes the additional faculty will foster more collaboration with other departments, including biology, linguistics, education and various engineering programs.
■ Rajeev Motwani’s memorial service at Stanford.
