Robin Johnsson Adjunct Assistant Professor

BIOGRAPHY

My background is in sensory biology, behavioural ecology, and animal cognition and sleep. My
research career started as an undergraduate student at Lund University in Sweden where I did my
bachelor thesis in biology on caching behavior in rooks (Corvus frugilegus), and worked as an intern
collecting data for research projects on colour vision and spatial vision in various bird species. Then, I did
two masters theses at Lund University: one in biology where I worked on motion vision in chickens
(Gallus gallus), and the other one in animal ecology on tool-use behavior in great tits (Parus major).
Afterwards, I moved to Melbourne in Australia where I did my PhD at La Trobe University. During my
PhD, I studied cognition and sleep physiology in Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen).
I currently work as a post-doctoral researcher in Assoc. Prof. Timothy Roth’s lab at Franklin &
Marshall College. My post-doc project focuses on neuroanatomical differences in the brains of
hybridizing black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina chickadees (P. carolinensis). This is part of
a larger collaborative NSF-funded project between labs at three universities, that focuses on the genetic
and neurological mechanisms behind cognitive impairment in hybrid chickadees. Aside from this main
project, I am also involved in projects on behavior in painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) and common
snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina).
Lastly, I thoroughly enjoy teaching. I have taught in courses at all research institutions I have
studied and worked at, and I have mentored several undergraduate students. My teaching style is flexible
as I have experience in mentoring, demonstrating, and lecturing through in-person interactions and trough
virtual environments. I recently got hired as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Franklin & Marshall
College to teach Evolution of Mind and Intelligence (PSY464).

PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS

2023- Adjunct Assistant Professor, Franklin & Marshall College
2022- Postdoctoral Researcher, Franklin & Marshall College

EDUCATION

2022 Doctor of Philosophy. La Trobe University. Melbourne, Australia.
2018 Master of Science in Animal Ecology. Lund University. Lund, Sweden.
2017 Master of Science in Biology. Lund University. Lund, Sweden.
2015 Bachelor of Science in Biology. Lund University. Lund, Sweden.

PUBLICATIONS

10. Johnsson RD, Veillet PS, Connelly F, Endler JA, Roth TC and Lesku JA. (2023). Wild Australian
magpies learn to pull intact, not broken, strings to obtain food. Behavioral Ecology and
Sociobiology 77, 49.
9. Johnsson RD*, Connelly F* and Lesku JA. (2022). Preliminary evidence of tool use in an Australian
magpie? Behaviour 159, 1483-1497. (*authors contributed equally).

8. Connelly F, Hall ML, Johnsson RD, Elliot-Kerr S, Dow BR, Lesku JA and Mulder RA. (2022). Urban
noise does not affect cognitive performance in wild Australian magpies. Animal Behaviour 188,
35-44.
7. Johnsson RD, Connelly F, Gaviraghi Mussoi J, Vyssotski AL, Cain KE, Roth TC and Lesku JA.
(2022). Sleep loss impairs cognitive performance and alters song output in Australian
magpies. Scientific Reports 12, 6645.
6. Johnsson RD, Connelly F, Vyssotski AL, Roth TC and Lesku JA. (2022). Homeostatic regulation of
NREM sleep, but not REM sleep, in Australian magpies. Sleep 45, zsab218.
5. Aulsebrook AE, Johnsson RD and Lesku JA. (2021). Light, sleep and performance in diurnal
birds. Clocks & Sleep 3, 115-131.
4. Olsson P, Johnsson RD, Foster JJ, Kirwan JD, Lind O and Kelber A. (2020). Chicken colour
discrimination depends on background colour. Journal of Experimental Biology 223, jeb209429.
3.Connelly F, Johnsson RD, Aulsebrook AE, Mulder RA, Hall ML, Vyssotski AL and Lesku JA. (2020).
Urban noise restricts, fragments, and lightens sleep in Australian magpies. Environmental
Pollution 267, 115484.
2. Aulsebrook AE*, Connelly F*, Johnsson RD, Jones TM, Mulder RA, Hall ML, Vyssotski AL and
Lesku JA. (2020). White and amber light at night disrupt sleep physiology in birds. Current
Biology 30, 3657-3663. (*authors contributed equally).
1. Johnsson RD and Brodin A. (2019). Wild-caught great tits Parus major fail to use tools in a laboratory
experiment, despite facilitation. Ethology 125, 324-331.