T. S. Kemp

{{Short description|British paleontologist}}

Thomas Stainforth Kemp is a British zoologist and palaeontologist. He is known for his work on the evolution of mammals, and particularly for identifying the criteria by which proto-mammals (synapsids) should be classified as mammals.{{cite journal | vauthors = Luo ZX, Martin T |year=2007 |title=Analysis of Molar Structure and Phylogeny of Docodont Genera |journal=Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History |volume=39 |pages=27–47 |doi=10.2992/0145-9058(2007)39[27:AOMSAP]2.0.CO;2 |s2cid=29846648 |url=http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/13543816/1018125207/name/Luo+y+Martin+2007-+molar+structure+and+phylogeny+of+docodonts.pdf |access-date=8 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303225517/http://xa.yimg.com/kq/groups/13543816/1018125207/name/Luo+y+Martin+2007-+molar+structure+and+phylogeny+of+docodonts.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016}} He is an emeritus fellow of St John's College, Oxford, and he was the curator of the zoological collections in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History until his retirement in 2009.{{cite web|title=Dr Tom Kemp, Emeritus Research Fellow, St John's College|url=https://oumnh.ox.ac.uk/people/dr-tom-kemp|website = Oxford University Museum of Natural History|access-date = 6 March 2023}}

As well as many academic papers, and four academic books on palaeontology and evolution, Kemp has written three books in the Very Short Introductions series.