I found a Michael Lapidus
Professor of Mathematics
M.S., Ph.D., Doctorat d'Etat es Sciences Habilitation, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI), France

Specialization: Mathematical Physics, Analysis/PDEs, Fractal Geometry, Spectral Geometry,
Dynamical Systems
He is currently alive so I don't know if this guy is who the show is referring to.
But the mathematical stuff fits.

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" We kinda like knew that forever ago." -Hurley SE4EP8