| Walter Metcalf | |
| Birth Name: | Walter Sidney Metcalf |
| Birth Date: | 18 May 1918 |
| Birth Place: | Kaitangata, New Zealand |
| Death Place: | New Zealand |
| Fields: | Physical chemistry |
| Workplaces: | Victoria University College University of Canterbury |
| Alma Mater: | University of Oxford |
| Doctoral Advisor: | E. J. Bowen[1] |
| Known For: | Photochemistry |
| Awards: | T. K. Sidey Medal (1966) |
Walter Sidney Metcalf (18 May 1918 – 25 July 2008) was a New Zealand physical chemist.[2]
Metcalf was born in Kaitangata on 18 May 1918, the son of George Metcalf, and was educated at Napier Boys' High School.[3] He earned a bachelor's degree in music in parallel with his first science degree at the University of Otago,[4] and completed a DPhil degree with E. J. Bowen at England's Oxford University.
Metcalf married Mary Glen Simmers, and the couple went on to have two children.[3]
Metcalf initially worked at Victoria University College, then moved to Canterbury University College (now the University of Canterbury) in 1954. He retired as a reader in 1975. He worked mainly on photochemistry and was awarded the T. K. Sidey Medal by the Royal Society of New Zealand for his research in 1966.[5] Towards the end of his career, he worked on calcium metabolism.