Lars White explores how psychological disorders come about in childhood and adolescence and which biopsychosocial mechanisms determine whether they persist. He seeks to improve developmental care through a better understanding of early treatment options in childhood and adolescence. At least half of all psychological disorders begin in childhood or adolescence and then often take a severe or chronic course. However, detailed knowledge regarding the mechanisms for risk and protection in the early stages of life is still lacking, which would provide information about the factors that either aid or hinder recovery. Considerations of how to go about early intervention guide his research and application of research results.

Lars White and his team want to advance clinical applied research in the field of pediatric psychology. With the forthcoming revival of the Psychotheratherapeutic University Outpatient Services over the Lifespan (PULS), the university offers an excellent environment for this. The university outpatient clinic provides children and adolescents a contact point, while giving students in the new master's degree program for psychotherapy opportunities to complete a portion of their professional training.

Prof. Lars White previously led the research group at the Department of Paediatric Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics at Leipzig University Medical Center. His roles there included work as a spokesperson for the BMBF-funded multicenter AMIS research project on mental health and intervention options for victims of child abuse, as well as a pediatric therapist.
Professor White is also a recipient of the New Investigator Award of the World Associations of Infant Mental Health (WAIMH) and a coordinating board member of the Social Neuroscience of Attachment (SoNeAt) interest group within the Society for Emotion and Attachment Studies (SEAS). He is a co-editor of both the journal “Kinderanalyse,” and a current special issue on Social Neuroscience of Attachment in the journal “Attachment and Human Development.”