LOOPS Research Group

Talk at the 9th Machine Learning and AI in (Bio)Chemical Engineering Conference, Cambridge

Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Can Large Language Models accelerate scientific model discovery? 🤖

This is one of the questions we’re exploring in our latest work on LLM-guided symbolic regression for kinetic model discovery, with Roberto Aliaga Medina and Ehecatl Antonio del Rio Chanona.

The idea is to combine the strengths of both: symbolic regression recovers interpretable equations from data, while the LLM brings in scientific knowledge to steer the search toward models that actually make physical sense.

Across four case studies, our framework:

cut the number of new experiments needed to find the ground-truth model by 42–79% vs. standard symbolic regression
had the LLM directly propose the correct model structure in half of the guided runs
matched baseline predictive accuracy → so fewer experiments, no loss in quality

I presented this (ongoing) work at the 9th Machine Learning and AI in (Bio)Chemical Engineering Conference in Cambridge — thanks so much to the organisers for such a great event! 😊

Huge kudos to our brilliant Roberto Aliaga Medina, who has done all of this while still finishing his MSc in Chile and working with us in parallel!

🔗 View full post on LinkedIn

MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship opportunity — join us!

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

We are looking for outstanding postdoctoral researchers interested in applying for the MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship (deadline: 9 September 2026) to join us at the UCL Department of Chemical Engineering.

If your research interests align with our areas — machine learning, optimisation, control, or AI for science — and you are considering applying, please get in touch to discuss potential project ideas.

📧 p.quintanilla@ucl.ac.uk

Paper accepted at the 23rd IFAC World Congress

Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Our paper Hierarchical control via MPC-RL for multi-timescale battery systems by Rasa Pourjam, Antonio Del Rio Chanona and Paulina Quintanilla has been accepted at the 23rd IFAC World Congress.

From data to decisions: Bayesian modelling and global sensitivity analysis for flotation control

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Centralised economic model predictive control of froth flotation banks with experimental implementation

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Global sensitivity analysis of blue hydrogen production: A comparative study using machine learning

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Saturation regulation in heap leaching: A nonlinear model predictive control approach

Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

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