Harold Metcalf earned his Bachelor's degree in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, and his PhD in physics from Brown University, USA. He was a postdoc at Stony Brook University (SBU), USA, before joining their faculty. He is currently a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Physics Department. Metcalf has also held several visiting appointments, including MIT, ENS Paris, France, Utrecht University, Netherlands, University of Bonn, Germany, and Beijing Institute for Modern Physics, China.

His research is focused on optical control of atomic motion, and he was one of the leaders in the earliest experiments of Laser Cooling and Trapping. He has published three textbooks, including "Laser Cooling and Trapping."

Metcalf is a dedicated educator and mentor. He created the Laser Teaching Center (LTC) at SBU, which provides inquiry- and project-based active learning for students from high school to the graduate level. Another significant contribution to education is the annual Symposium on Undergraduate Research which takes place as part of Frontiers in Optics (FiO). During the Symposium, undergraduate students present their research in oral and poster sessions and network with leading professionals in the field.

He is a Fellow of Optica and the American Physical Society. He received the Esther Hoffman Beller Medal and the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.