David Henry Solomon (born 19 November 1929 in Adelaide, South Australia) is an Australian polymer chemist.

Solomon received an Associate of Sydney Technical College, (equivalent to a Diploma of Chemistry) in 1950 and went on to complete a Bachelor of Science (BSc (Hons)) in 1952 from the New South Wales University of Technology (now the University of New South Wales), a Master of Science (MSc) from the same university in 1955, and a PhD from the University of New South Wales in 1959 with a thesis entitled Studies on the Chemistry of Carbonyl Compounds.

In 1968 he was awarded a DSc from the University of New South Wales for his thesis Studies on the Chemistry of Coating Compounds.

He also received an Honorary Doctorate in Applied Science from the University of Melbourne in 2005, one of only seven awarded in the University's history.

Solomon joined British Australian Lead Manufacturers Pty Ltd (BALM, which later became Dulux Australia Ltd) as a trainee chemist in 1946 at the age of 16.

Solomon's strong interest in polymer research drew him to join CSIRO as a Senior Research Scientist in the Division of Applied Mineralogy in 1963.

In 1970 Solomon transferred to the Division of Applied Chemistry where he established the Polymer Research Group, before going on to become Chief of the Division of Applied Organic Chemistry during a reorganisation in 1974, a position he held for the next 17 years.

In 1990 he accepted an invitation to become the ICI Australia – Masson Professor and Head of the School of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne.

After ‘retirement’ in 1995 David took up the position of Honorary Professorial Fellow in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University, moving the Polymer Science Group, to which he still acts as Senior Advisor.

In 2015 he was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus at the University of Melbourne.

Solomon is often referred to as the father of polymer research in Australia, having established three internationally acclaimed polymer research groups in industry (Dulux, 1960), in Australia's peak scientific research organisation, CSIRO (1970) and at the University of Melbourne (1990).

Solomon's work rewrote the theory on free radical polymerization, and he was co-author with Graeme Moad on the definitive reference book: The Chemistry of Radical Polymerization (Moad & Solomon, 2006).

Following a major forgery of Australia's newly introduced $10 notes in 1967, Solomon was invited to a meeting about how to make more secure bank notes.

Solomon went on to lead the research team and was the principal inventor of the world's first polymer banknote, with the first note issued into circulation in 1988: the Australian bicentennial $10.

From Concept to Reality, co-authored with Tom Spurling (published in 2014).

In 2001 the RACI established the Solomon Lecture Series in recognition of his contribution to the field and to the RACI.