Synthesizing Contextually Relevant Tabular Data Using Context-Aware Conditional Tabular GAN (CA-CTGAN) and Transfer Learning

Doctoral Candidate Name: 
Hesam Fallahian
Program: 
Computing and Information Systems
Abstract: 

The Context-Aware Conditional Tabular Generative Adversarial Network (CA-CTGAN) introduces an innovative architecture for the generation of synthetic tabular data, distinguished by effectively incorporating context-specific elements into its generative process. This enables the production of synthetic datasets that not only accurately reflect real-world distributions but are also tailored to specific contexts across a variety of experimental domains, including laboratory, field, natural, and clinical experiments, as well as survey research. In many cases, CA-CTGAN can generate data suitable for research purposes, potentially reducing or eliminating the need for certain real-world experiments. By utilizing Transfer Learning the model effectively identifies and exploits complex semantic relationships within the data to ensure the implementation of rigorous contextual requirements and maintains high semantic integrity. Furthermore, a novel auxiliary classifier is implemented, which includes entity embedding and multi-class multi-label capabilities, enabling the creation of enhanced datasets that strictly adhere to the specified contextual requirements. These contributions position CA-CTGAN as a remarkably versatile and efficient tool across multiple scientific disciplines. Its ability to generate high-quality, contextually relevant synthetic data not only streamlines research processes and reduces associated costs but also addresses ethical concerns in sensitive studies. Consequently, CA-CTGAN emerges as an essential resource for researchers, facilitating more ethical, cost-effective, and data-informed experimental design and decision-making.

Defense Date and Time: 
Wednesday, April 10, 2024 - 2:00pm
Defense Location: 
https://charlotte-edu.zoom.us/j/96836215539
Committee Chair's Name: 
Dr. Mohsen Dorodchi
Committee Members: 
Dr. Kyle Kreth, Dr. Pu Wang, Dr. Christian Kuemmerle, Dr. Heather Lipford