LAPSE:2026.0484v1
Published Article

LAPSE:2026.0484v1
Foundation Model-Guided Optimization of Chemical Reaction Spaces for Autonomous Experimentation
June 12, 2026
Abstract
The optimization of chemical reactions requires navigating a high-dimensional design space composed of both discrete and continuous variables. Although one-hot encoding has been widely adopted, it lacks chemically meaningful information and suffers from sparsity and poor generalization. To address these limitations, we explored the use of pretrained molecular foundation models to generate latent representations as input variables for optimization. However, rigorously comparing different combinations of reaction representations and optimization algorithms remains a time- and resource-intensive challenge. In this work, we developed an end-to-end benchmarking platform that systematically evaluates diverse encoding schemes and optimization strategies under identical conditions. The platform automates the entire workflow from data preprocessing to result analysis, supporting fair comparison across multiple representation-optimizer combinations. Furthermore, we designed a custom reaction representation that integrates a 3D equivariant encoder with a bidirectional cross-attention module to explicitly capture interactions between reaction components. The proposed platform provides a scalable foundation for reaction optimization and advances the feasibility of autonomous experimental systems.
The optimization of chemical reactions requires navigating a high-dimensional design space composed of both discrete and continuous variables. Although one-hot encoding has been widely adopted, it lacks chemically meaningful information and suffers from sparsity and poor generalization. To address these limitations, we explored the use of pretrained molecular foundation models to generate latent representations as input variables for optimization. However, rigorously comparing different combinations of reaction representations and optimization algorithms remains a time- and resource-intensive challenge. In this work, we developed an end-to-end benchmarking platform that systematically evaluates diverse encoding schemes and optimization strategies under identical conditions. The platform automates the entire workflow from data preprocessing to result analysis, supporting fair comparison across multiple representation-optimizer combinations. Furthermore, we designed a custom reaction representation that integrates a 3D equivariant encoder with a bidirectional cross-attention module to explicitly capture interactions between reaction components. The proposed platform provides a scalable foundation for reaction optimization and advances the feasibility of autonomous experimental systems.
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Keywords
Autonomous experimentation, Benchmarking platform, Black-box optimization, Molecular representation, Reaction optimization
Subject
Suggested Citation
Kim Y, Na J. Foundation Model-Guided Optimization of Chemical Reaction Spaces for Autonomous Experimentation. Systems and Control Transactions 5:2252-2260 (2026) https://doi.org/10.69997/sct.101097
Author Affiliations
Kim Y: Ewha Womans University, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea. Ewha Womans University, Graduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea. Ewha Womans University, In
Na J: Ewha Womans University, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea. Ewha Womans University, Graduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea. Ewha Womans University, In
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Na J: Ewha Womans University, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea. Ewha Womans University, Graduate Program in System Health Science and Engineering, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea. Ewha Womans University, In
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Journal Name
Systems and Control Transactions
Volume
5
First Page
2252
Last Page
2260
Year
2026
Publication Date
2026-06-12
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Original Submission
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PII: 2252-2260-407-SCT-5-2026, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2026.0484v1
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https://doi.org/10.69997/sct.101097
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Jun 12, 2026
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