Juergen Hahn, head of the department of biomedical engineering at Rensselaer, has recently been named 2019-2021 Computing & Systems Technology Division Director for AIChE, a professional organization for chemical engineers.

Hahn, who also holds an appointment in the department of chemical and biological engineering at Rensselaer, applies a big data approach to studying autism. Hahn’s research found that patterns with certain metabolites in the blood can accurately predict if a child has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. He has also applied his method to investigating co-occurring conditions in children with autism, uncovering three subgroups that could help lay the groundwork for creating a sub-classification system for ASD.