Dr. Tina Malti

Tina Malti is Alexander von Humboldt Professor of Child Development and Health at Leipzig University and the founding director of the Laboratory for Social-Emotional Development and Intervention at the University of Toronto. She is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto, the founding director of the Centre for Child Development, Mental Health, and Policy at the University of Toronto Mississauga, and a registered clinical psychologist in Ontario, Canada. Tina Malti is president of the International Society for the Study of Behavioural Development (ISSBD).

Tina’s research focuses on social-emotional development and mental health in children experiencing varying levels of adversity. Based on this work and a humanistic approach to child development, she creates and tests interventions that help children overcome the negative effects of exposure to violence and trauma and cultivate kindness. To achieve these goals, Tina conducts and directs multidisciplinary research, training, and policy efforts that capitalize on inclusive principles and technological innovations to reach every child.

She and her team work closely with local and international communities and agencies to provide research-informed knowledge that can help nurture the development, wellbeing, and potential for kindness in children from all walks of life.

Tina has an exceptional track record of achievements and impact in research. She has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications in the areas of child development, mental health, and intervention research. She has been awarded various national and international grants, including a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Foundation Scheme Grant in support of her cutting-edge research. Tina is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 7: Developmental Psychology and Division 53: Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology) and the Association for Psychological Science, and has received several major awards for her research. She has been named recipient of Germany’s most valuable international research award, the 2023 Alexander von Humboldt Professorship. In 2019, she was the recipient of the Desmond Morton Research Excellence Award in Science by the University of Toronto Mississauga. Her research has also been featured by the New York Times, The Atlantic, and other media outlets.

As a scholar with a blended cultural heritage, Tina feels fortunate to work with an extraordinarily dedicated, talented, and diverse team of undergraduate students, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and inspiring colleagues in over 20 countries on five continents.