Warren Vidic is the Animus creator who becomes a major character in Assassin's Creed II.
Vidic is a scientist working for Abstergo Industries, the modern-day corporation associated with the Templars. He oversees Desmond Miles's early Animus sessions and presents the machine as a way to access genetic memories inherited from ancestors.
In Assassin's Creed II, Vidic's work is central to the modern-day plot. Desmond is removed from Abstergo custody and later uses an improved Animus with the Assassin team, but Vidic remains an important figure on the opposing side. His research helps explain how the series connects historical adventures to a contemporary conflict.
William Miles leads the Assassin group, Shaun Hastings provides research and analysis, and Clay Kaczmarek is another person connected to Animus experiments. Those names are therefore plausible alternatives, but Warren Vidic is the scientist identified with creating and directing Abstergo's Animus program.