PEOPLE

Juli Gaviraghi Mussoi

My name is Juliane Gaviraghi Mussoi (she/her), and I am a Lecturer in Animal Behaviour at the University of Waikato. My main research interests are avian behaviour, cognition, and the evolutionary/ecological factors behind them. I earned a BSc in Biological Sciences from UCS (Brazil). During my second year of undergrad, I got a scholarship to study for a year at Thompson Rivers University (Canada). That is where I fell in love with animal behaviour and birds. Right after graduating I started my two-year master's degree in Animal Ecology at Lund University (Sweden) and discovered the fantastic world of avian cognition. I completed my PhD and postdoc at the University of Auckland studying the effects of sleep disturbances on bird song.

If you are looking for collaborations or postgraduate opportunities in behaviour ecology and birds, feel free to contact me at juli.gaviraghimussoi@waikato.ac.nz

CURRENT STUDENTS

Amelia Worley - PhD Student

Amelia is a new PhD candidate at the University of Auckland interested in the role of sleep on brain function in zebra finches, with potential applications to both conservation biology and human neuroscience. Her research will use EEG recordings to explore the effects of disturbed sleep on neural activity, hormone levels, cognition, and responses across different brain regions.

Kamya Patel - PhD Student

Kamya is a PhD student at the University of Auckland studying the impacts of sleep disturbance on birds, particularly how sleep disturbance affects vocal learning. She is interested in studying the impacts of anthropogenic activity on animals through their behaviour, and how this may inform conservation.

Charlotte Sutton - MSc Student

Charlotte is a MSc student at the University of Auckland, and is investigating how sleep disturbance affects cognitive performance in birds. She aims to have this research inform conservation work concerning the impacts of anthropogenic noise pollution. Charlotte's research interests involve the intersection of animal behaviour, cognition, and neuroscience.

PAST STUDENTS

Chase Leathard - Chase completed his MSc at the University of Auckland in 2025. His thesis was on the seasonal variation of oestradiol and testosterone in captive gentoo and king penguins. He was co-supervised by Assoc. Prof. Kristal Cain and I.

Simone Li - Simone completed her MSc at the University of Auckland in 2024. Her thesis was on the effects of sleep disturbances on common mynas’ behaviour. She was co-supervised by Assoc. Prof. Kristal Cain and I.

Rebecca MacQueen - Rebecca completed her MSc at the University of Auckland in 2022. Her thesis was on the stress physiology effects on vocal performance in the common myna. She was co-supervised by Assoc. Prof. Kristal Cain and I.