Imtiaz Haque named founding chairman of new automotive engineering department at Clemson

CLEMSON, SC – August 31, 2010 – Imtiaz Haque has been named founding chairman of Clemson University’s new automotive engineering department, located at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) campus in Greenville, S.C.

Haque will continue as executive director of the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center at CU-ICAR. He has been in that post since January 2009 and is responsible for building industrial partnerships and guiding the faculty in the academic program at the 250-acre automotive and motorsports research campus.

The interdisciplinary nature of automotive engineering was the impetus for the creation of this department, and Imtiaz is the clear choice to lead it. I’m delighted he agreed to lead this important endeavor, said Esin Gulari, dean of Clemson’s College of Engineering and Science. Imtiaz has been an integral part of the success of the automotive engineering program and he is uniquely positioned to give the new department a solid foundation.

The Clemson board of trustees approved the creation of the automotive engineering department this summer, using existing staff, equipment and facilities. The unit previously was managed autonomously through Clemson’s mechanical engineering department.

The department will continue to offer both master’s and doctoral degrees in automotive engineering and conduct automotive-focused industry- and government-sponsored research. It currently has 114 graduate students and 12 faculty members.

It is an honor for me to lead this program given the caliber of faculty, staff and students we have. I am humbled by the trust that the university administration and my colleagues have placed in me, Haque said. The graduate program in automotive engineering, with its focus on systems integration and product development, is one of the most unique in the world and has the vision to be the best. My goal is to support faculty, students and staff to help make that vision a reality and I look forward to the challenge.

Haque received an undergraduate degree from the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1972; he earned his master’s and doctorate from Clemson in 1977 and 1982, respectively. He joined Clemson’s mechanical engineering faculty in 1982.

He was chairman of the mechanical engineering department for more than six years, during which the department grew substantially, including adding the automotive engineering program.

A longtime member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Society of Automotive Engineers, Haque was named an ASME Fellow in recognition of significant engineering achievements and contributions to the engineering profession. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed scholarly papers; been a major adviser to 80 doctoral, master’s degree and undergraduate honors students; and been principal or co-principal investigator on grant projects totaling more than $100 million.

Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research
The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research is an advanced-technology research campus where academia, industry and government organizations engage in synergistic collaboration. Launched in 2003 and opened in 2006, the 250-acre research campus off Interstate 85 in Greenville, S.C., has generated more than $233 million in funding commitments. The heart of the campus is the Carroll A. Campbell Graduate Engineering Center, which houses research and education activities as well as full-scale testing facilities. The Campbell Center is home to four of the largest endowed chairs in the country funded by BMW, Michelin, The Timken Co. and the State of South Carolina.