Joseph Curtin is an American contemporary violinmaker who lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He was a 2005 recipient of a MacArthur Fellows Program "genius grant".He has also directed workshops on violin design through the Violin Society of America, a group of builders. Curtin is known for using technology such as MRIs, Lasers, and other scanning devices to measure the acoustics of violins, to aid in his designs. Curtin uses the information gathered to create replicas of famous antique violins, as well as research for more avante-garde designs including instruments made out of carbon fibre.