Research AssociatePhoto.
Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford.
Room 309, Wolfson Building, Parks Road.
Oxford, OX1 3QD.
mromang08@gmail.com

My research is in category theory, functional programming, foundations for probabilistic programming, formal languages, and mathematical notation. I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, working with Sam Staton. Previously, I was a PhD student at the Compositional Systems and Methods Group in Tallinn, working with Pawel Sobocinski.

Preprints

Publications

PhD Thesis

Extended abstracts

  • Timing via Pinwheel Double Categories (preprint), with Elena Di Lavore.
  • Graded Coalgebras of Monads for Continuous Dynamics (preprint), with Elena Di Lavore.
  • Solving Puzzles in Decision Theory (preprint), with Elena Di Lavore.
  • String Diagrams for Physical Duoidal Categories (preprint), with Nayan Rajesh.
  • Evidential Decision Theory via Partial Markov Categories (NWPT 2024), with Elena Di Lavore.
  • Universal Properties of Asynchronous Message Passing (abstract), with Matt Earnshaw.
  • Effectful Trace Semantics via Effectful Streams (preprint), with Filippo Bonchi and Elena Di Lavore.
  • Coinductive Streams in Monoidal Categories (arXiv), with Elena Di Lavore and Giovanni de Felice.
  • Polar Interleavings for Deadlock-Free Message-Passing (preprint), with Matt Earnshaw and Chad Nester.
  • Symmetric monoidal automata (preprint), with Elena Di Lavore.
  • Presentations of Premonoidal Categories by Devices (preprint), with Matt Earnshaw and Chad Nester.
  • Contouring Prostar Autonomous Categories (preprint), with Matt Earnshaw and James Hefford.
  • Be Careful with Duoidal Coherence (preprint).
  • Coalgebraic Stochastic Continuous Systems (preprint).
  • Comb Diagrams for Discrete-Time Feedback (preprint).
  • Timing monoidal lax categories (preprint).
  • Distributive laws of promonads (preprint).
  • Composing optics (preprint).

Talks

Curriculum

Positions.

  • Research Associate, University of Oxford (2024), supervisor Sam Staton.
  • PhD, Tallinn University of Technology (2023), supervisor Pawel Sobocinski.
  • MSc, University of Oxford (2019), Foundations of Mathematics and Computer Science.
  • BSc, University of Granada (2018), BSc Mathematics.
  • BSc, University of Granada (2018), BSc Computer Engineering.

Grant writing.

  • ARIA Safeguarded AI, PI: Sam Staton, “Categorical Probability Towards Safe AI” (2024).
  • ARIA Safeguarded AI, PI: Pawel Sobocinski, “String Diagrams for Probabilistic Logic” (2024).
  • ARIA Safeguarded AI, PI: Filippo Bonchi, “Monoidal Coalgebraic Metrics” (2024).
  • Short Term Scientific Mission, “Type theory for exact and continuous Bayesian observations” (2024).
  • Short Term Scientific Mission, “Bidimensional Markov Categories” (2024).

Community.

  • Executive Board, Compositionality Journal (2023).
  • Programme Committee, Applied Category Theory (2024).
  • Programme Committee, Applied Category Theory (2023).
  • Programme Committee, Applied Category Theory (2022).
  • Local Organizer, Applied Category Theory (Oxford, 2024).
  • Local Organizer, Mathematical Foundations of Programming Semantics (Oxford, 2024).
  • Local Organizer, Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science (Tallinn, 2021).

Reviewing.

  • Distinguished Reviewer Award, LiCS’25.
  • Journal Reviewer, Logical Methods in Computer Science (LMCS).
  • Journal Reviewer, Mathematical Structures in Computer Science (MSCS).
  • Journal Reviewer, Compositionality journal (Compositionality).
  • Reviewer, Principles of Programming Languages (POPL’25).
  • Reviewer, Logic in Computer Science (LiCS20, LiCS22, LiCS23, LiCS25).
  • Reviewer, Applied Category Theory (ACT20, ACT21, ACT22, ACT23, ACT24).
  • Reviewer, Symp. Compositional Structures (SYCO6, SYCO7, SYCO8, SYCO9).
  • Reviewer, Computer Science Logic (CSL23).
  • Reviewer, Foundations of Software Science (FoSSaCS22).
  • Reviewer, Coalgebraic Methods in Computer Science (CMCS24).
  • Reviewer, Trends in Computer Science (SOFSEM2023).
  • Reviewer, Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (KR2023).

Distinctions.

  • Kleene Award, “Monoidal Streams for Dataflow Programming”, LiCS’22.
  • Invited Talk, “Monoidal Optics are Universal”, special session MFPS’23.
  • Distinguished Paper, “Effectful Mealy Machines: Bisimulation and Trace”, LiCS’25.
  • Distinguished Paper, “Monoidal Streams for Dataflow Programming”, LiCS’22.
  • Distinguished Talk, “Effectful Trace Semantics”, ACT’24.
  • Distinguished Talk, “Evidential Decision Theory via Partial Markov Categories”, ACT’23.
  • Distinguished Talk, “Monoidal Streams for Dataflow Programming”, ACT’22.
  • Distinguished Talk, “Profunctor Optics: a Categorical Update”, ACT’20.
  • Best BSc thesis, Spanish Royal Mathematical Society, “Category Theory and Lambda Calculus”, 2018.
  • Undergraduate Reserch, Fellowship at the Department of Algebra, “Educational λ-calculus interpreter”, 2018.
  • International Mathematical Olympiad, Honorary mention, national gold medal, 2012.

Teaching.

  • TA for the Applied Category Theory Adjoint School, Glasgow, under Nicoletta Sabadini, 2022.
  • TA for Category Theory, Tallinn University of Technology, under Pawel Sobocinski, 2020.
  • TA for Functional Programming, Tallinn University of Technology, under Edward Morehouse, 2020.

Visits & Workshops.

  • Logic in Computer Science — Singapore, 2025.
  • Tallinn University of Technology — visit, 26 May-5 June, 2025.
  • ARIA invited event, Safeguarded AI — Nottingham, 7-11 April, 2025.
  • Computing with Markov Categories — Tallinn, 26 February, 2025.
  • Tallinn University of Technology — visit, 16-28 February, 2025.
  • ARIA invited event, Safeguarded AI ­— York, 4-7 February, 2025.
  • Aix-Marseille University — visit, December 2024.
  • ENS Lyon — visit, December 2024.
  • National Institute of Informatics, Tokyo — visit, 18–22 November, 2024.
  • Tallinn University of Technology — visit, 30 October – 14 November, 2024.
  • Tallinn University of Technology — visit, 15-30 September, 2024.
  • ARIA invited event Safeguarded AI — Manchester, 1–4 October, 2024.
  • ARIA invited event Safeguarded AI — Birmingham, 4–5 March 2024.
  • University of Pisa — visit, 2024.
  • Tallinn University of Technology — CHESS-PTSPC’24 workshop, March 2024.
  • Finding the Right Abstractions Workshop 2023 — Oxford.
  • Finding the Right Abstractions Workshop 2023 — San Francisco.
  • University of Insubria — visit, 2022.
  • Logic in Computer Science 2023 — Boston.
  • Logic in Computer Science 2022 — Haifa.
  • Applied Category Theory 2024 — Oxford.
  • Applied Category Theory 2023 — Maryland, 31 July – 4 August 2023.
  • Applied Category Theory 2022 — Glasgow.
  • Estonian Winter School in Computer Science — Palmse, 2020.
  • Nordic Workshop on Programming Theory — Tallinn, 2019.
  • Category Theory Conference — Edinburgh, 2019.
  • Applied Category Theory Adjoint School, 2019.

Notes

I collect and hyperlink the notes I write while studying or developing any topic. They are not meant to be definitive and many of them do not contain original material. Think of these as atomic ideas that I am happy to share and discuss: do please contact me by email if you want to discuss or comment on any. You may want read about monoidal categories, profunctors, or duoidal categories, or to use the search box (Ctrl+K) to jump to any topic.