Thijs van Kolfschoten (1952) is emeritus professor in mammalian palaeo- and archaeozoology and Quaternary biostratigraphy. He studied Geology and Biology and obtained his Ph.D. in Palaeontology, at the Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Utrecht (The Netherlands). After a research position at the Institute of Palaeontology, University of Bonn (Germany) he moved in 1992 to the Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University where he retired in August 2018. Since October 2018, he is in addition Professor at Shandong University in China.

His main fields of interest are Quaternary mammals, biostratigraphy, palaeoecology and taphonomy. His palaeontological research focuses on continental deposits ranging from the Early Pleistocene until the early Holocene studying the Quaternary faunal history as well as hominin subsistence and behavior in Europe as well as in Asia. The results of these and previous research projects are published in more than 250 scientific papers.

Professor Kolfschoten is President of INQUA (International Union for Quaternary Science) and he was the Editor-in-Chief of Quaternary International, the Journal of the international Union for Quaternary Research (2018 – 2021).