IIRC that was Enrico Fermi, he died less than a decade later of stomach cancer. He did a vast amount of research both in Italy and the US. The element Fermium is named after him, as is the Fermi Constant describing the weak nuclear force. He is often called "the father of the nuclear age" for it was he who designed and brought to fruition the Chicage squash court reactor - the first artificial chain reaction.