About

I am a postdoc in the Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science at the University of Edinburgh working with Sam Lindley on the Effect Handler Oriented Programming project. My main interest is in programming language theory, in particular denotational semantics and semantics of computational effects. For this, I often use tools such as category theory, logic and universal algebra. I have recently been awarded a 3-year Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship, starting in 2026, to study concurrency through the lens of computational effects.

Between 2018 and 2022 I was a PhD student at the University of Oxford, working with Sam Staton on models of programming languages built using logical relations. Before that, I obtained an MSc in Computer Science from Oxford and a BA from Cambridge.

Publications

• An equational axiomatization of dynamic threads via algebraic effects.
  Ohad Kammar, Jack Liell-Cock, Sam Lindley, Cristina Matache and Sam Staton. POPL 2026.
  
• Scoped Effects, Scoped Operations, and Parameterized Algebraic Theories.
  Cristina Matache, Sam Lindley, Sean Moss, Sam Staton, Nicolas Wu and Zhixuan Yang. TOPLAS 2025.
  
• Scoped effects as parameterized algebraic theories.
  Sam Lindley, Cristina Matache, Sean Moss, Sam Staton, Nicolas Wu and Zhixuan Yang. ESOP 2024.
  
• Concrete categories and higher-order recursion (With applications including probability, differentiability, and full abstraction).
  Cristina Matache, Sean Moss, Sam Staton. LICS 2022. [slides]
  
• Recursion and sequentiality in categories of sheaves.
  Cristina Matache, Sean Moss, Sam Staton. FSCD 2021.
  
• A sound and complete logic for algebraic effects.
  Cristina Matache, Sam Staton. FoSSaCS 2019.
  
• Programming and proving with classical types.
  Cristina Matache, Victor B. F. Gomes, Dominic P. Mulligan. APLAS 2017. [slides]
  
• The λμ calculus.
  Cristina Matache, Victor B. F. Gomes, Dominic P. Mulligan.
  Archive of Formal Proofs, 2017.

Workshop abstracts

• An algebraic theory of named threads.
  Cristina Matache. GALOP workshop 2024.
  
• Paella: algebraic effects with parameters and their handlers.
  Jesse Sigal, Ohad Kammar, Cristina Matache and Conor McBride. HOPE workshop 2024.
  
• Denotational semantics of languages for inference: semirings, monads, and tensors.
  Cristina Matache, Sean Moss, Sam Staton and Ariadne Si Suo. LAFI workshop 2023.
  
• Formalisation of the λμ^T calculus in Isabelle/HOL.
  Cristina Matache. Poster at ICFP 2017.

Invited talks

• Parameterized algebraic theories and computational effects.   At the Categories Networking Project (CATNIP) triannual meeting, University of Edinburgh, October 2025.
• Parameterized algebraic theories and applications.   Talk at the Theoretical Computer Science Seminar, University of Birmingham, March 2024.
• Parameterized algebraic theories and applications.   Talk at the Huawei-Edinburgh Bayes Coffee House Tech Talk Series, University of Edinburgh, March 2024.
• Parameterized algebraic theories and scoped effects.   Talk at the Directions and Perspectives in the lambda-calculus workshop, University of Bologna, January 2024.
• A unified treatment of concrete sheaf models for higher-order recursion.   Talk at the Chocola meeting, 31 March 2022.
• Recursion and sequentiality in categories of sheaves.   Logic and Semantics seminar at Aarhus University, June 2021.
• A sound and complete logic for algebraic effects.   Seminar talk at Bath, Birmingham and UCL, 2019.

Theses

• Concrete sheaf models of higher-order recursion.   PhD thesis.
  University of Oxford, Department of Computer Science.
• Program equivalence for algebraic effects via modalities.   Master's thesis.
  University of Oxford, Department of Computer Science, September 2018.
  (updated version)
• Formalisation of the λμ^T calculus in Isabelle/HOL.   Bachelor's thesis.
  University of Cambridge, Computer Laboratory, June 2017.

Reviewing

• Program committee member for: ICFP 2026, TFP 2026, PPDP 2024, Student Research Competition at ICFP 2024, HOPE workshop 2023.
• Peer-reviewer for: Journal of Functional Programming 2023, LICS 2024, MFPS 2021, FSCD 2021, FOSSACS 2020.
• External reviewer for the Icelandic Research Fund, expert panel on Engineering and Technical Sciences, 2025.

Teaching

• 2020 -- 2021: Stipendiary Lecturer at Jesus College.
• Hilary term 2020: class tutor and marker for Lambda Calculus and Types.
• Michaelmas term 2019: tutoring Discrete Mathematics for first year undergraduates.