Fan-Chia Tao is Director of Research & Development at D’Addario & Company, where he designs violin-family and guitar strings. In 2003, Tao and Curtin founded the VSA-Oberlin Acoustics Workshop, which they continue to co-direct. They have collaborated on numerous research projects, including the Indianapolis and Paris double-blind experiments.
Tao holds electrical engineering degrees from Caltech and Princeton University. His interest in violin acoustics was fostered by renowned researcher and inventor Norman Pickering, who became a long-time mentor and friend. Tao is a Trustee of the CAS Forum (formerly the Catgut Acoustical Society), and is currently president of the Violin Society of America. He is also an accomplished violinist and violist with an avid interest in chamber music.