diff --git a/ax/storage/sqa_store/decoder.py b/ax/storage/sqa_store/decoder.py
index c83c83636d4..a6e1a24d24f 100644
--- a/ax/storage/sqa_store/decoder.py
+++ b/ax/storage/sqa_store/decoder.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 from enum import Enum
 from io import StringIO
 from logging import Logger
-from typing import cast, Union
+from typing import Any, cast, Union
 
 import pandas as pd
 from ax.analysis.analysis import AnalysisCard
@@ -108,29 +108,25 @@ def _auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose_from_experiment_sqa(
     ) -> dict[AuxiliaryExperimentPurpose, list[AuxiliaryExperiment]] | None:
         auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose = None
         if experiment_sqa.auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose:
-            from ax.storage.sqa_store.load import load_experiment
-
             auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose = {}
-            aux_exp_name_dict = none_throws(
-                experiment_sqa.auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose
-            )
-            for aux_exp_purpose_str, aux_exp_names in aux_exp_name_dict.items():
+            aux_exps_dict = none_throws(experiment_sqa.auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose)
+            for aux_exp_purpose_str, aux_exps_json in aux_exps_dict.items():
                 aux_exp_purpose = next(
                     member
                     for member in self.config.auxiliary_experiment_purpose_enum
                     if member.value == aux_exp_purpose_str
                 )
                 auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose[aux_exp_purpose] = []
-                for aux_exp_name in aux_exp_names:
+                for aux_exp_json in aux_exps_json:
+                    # keeping this for backward compatibility since previously
+                    # we used to save only the experiment name
+                    if isinstance(aux_exp_json, str):
+                        aux_exp_json = {"experiment_name": aux_exp_json}
+                    aux_experiment = auxiliary_experiment_from_json(
+                        json=aux_exp_json, config=self.config
+                    )
                     auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose[aux_exp_purpose].append(
-                        AuxiliaryExperiment(
-                            experiment=load_experiment(
-                                aux_exp_name,
-                                config=self.config,
-                                skip_runners_and_metrics=True,
-                                load_auxiliary_experiments=False,
-                            )
-                        )
+                        aux_experiment
                     )
         return auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose
 
@@ -1321,3 +1317,28 @@ def _get_scalarized_outcome_constraint_children_metrics(
         )
         metrics_sqa = query.all()
     return metrics_sqa
+
+
+def auxiliary_experiment_from_json(
+    json: dict[str, Any], config: SQAConfig
+) -> AuxiliaryExperiment:
+    """
+    Load an ``AuxiliaryExperiment`` from JSON.
+
+    Args:
+        json: A dictionary containing the JSON representation of an AuxiliaryExperiment.
+        config: The SQAConfig object used to load the experiment.
+
+    Returns:
+        An AuxiliaryExperiment object constructed from the JSON representation.
+    """
+
+    from ax.storage.sqa_store.load import load_experiment
+
+    experiment = load_experiment(
+        json.get("experiment_name"),
+        config=config,
+        skip_runners_and_metrics=True,
+        load_auxiliary_experiments=False,
+    )
+    return AuxiliaryExperiment(experiment)
diff --git a/ax/storage/sqa_store/encoder.py b/ax/storage/sqa_store/encoder.py
index b348c3ec84f..76372fa5e92 100644
--- a/ax/storage/sqa_store/encoder.py
+++ b/ax/storage/sqa_store/encoder.py
@@ -188,7 +188,13 @@ def experiment_to_sqa(self, experiment: Experiment) -> SQAExperiment:
             aux_exps,
         ) in experiment.auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose.items():
             aux_exp_type = aux_exp_type_enum.value
-            aux_exp_jsons = [aux_exp.experiment.name for aux_exp in aux_exps]
+            aux_exp_jsons = [
+                {
+                    "__type": aux_exp.__class__.__name__,
+                    "experiment_name": aux_exp.experiment.name,
+                }
+                for aux_exp in aux_exps
+            ]
             auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose[aux_exp_type] = aux_exp_jsons
 
         properties = experiment._properties
diff --git a/ax/storage/sqa_store/sqa_classes.py b/ax/storage/sqa_store/sqa_classes.py
index 17175eca535..db6eb8a51fe 100644
--- a/ax/storage/sqa_store/sqa_classes.py
+++ b/ax/storage/sqa_store/sqa_classes.py
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ class SQAExperiment(Base):
     # pyre-fixme[8]: Incompatible attribute type [8]: Attribute
     # `auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose` declared in class `SQAExperiment` has
     # type `Optional[Dict[str, List[str]]]` but is used as type `Column[typing.Any]`
-    auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose: dict[str, List[str]] | None = Column(
+    auxiliary_experiments_by_purpose: dict[str, List[dict[str, Any]]] | None = Column(
         JSONEncodedTextDict, nullable=True, default={}
     )