CLEMSON UNIVERSITY — A leader in the field of automotive systems integration will join the Clemson University faculty at the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR).

Paul Venhovens has been named BMW Endowed Chair in Systems Integration in the automotive engineering graduate program, according to a statement.

Venhovens comes to the university from BMW’s Research and Development headquarters in Munich, Germany, where he worked in the field of systems integration since joining the company in 1995. He most recently served as the leader for Functional Concept Design for the 1 and 3 series with responsibility for functional design and integration of vehicle safety, NVH (noise/vibration/harshness), durability, performance, fuel economy and vehicle dynamics, according to a statement.

Imtiaz Haque, Clemson’s mechanical engineering department chairman, to whom Venhovens will report, said the university’s decision process for this position was the most challenging of the four CU-ICAR-related chairs funded by the state and private investors in 2003 as part of the S.C. Centers of Economic Excellence program.

“Systems integration is the unique focus, one might say the ‘brand’ of CU-ICAR research and education efforts,” Haque said in a statement.

“In our five-year search, Dr. Venhovens stood out as the candidate who clearly fulfills our needs,” Haque said. “We are very excited about the broad range of experience he brings to the program.”

The other CU-ICAR endowed chairs include Tom Kurfess, BMW Endowed Chair in Manufacturing and director of the Carroll A. Campbell Graduate Engineering Center at CU-ICAR (hired in 2005); John Ziegert, Timken Endowed Chair in Automotive Design and Development (hired in 2006); and Todd Hubing, Michelin Endowed Chair in Vehicular Electronic Systems Integration (hired in 2007).