New Delhi: At 18, Nathan Thomas set a Guinness World Record as the world’s youngest male professor. He was teaching students his own age.
The Florida native began teaching engineering at Miami Dade College at the age of 18 years and 346 days in 2023, breaking a record held since 1717. It was held by Scottish mathematician Colin Maclaurin, who started teaching at 19.
Thomas took charge of COP 2270: C for Engineers in August 2023, standing in front of a classroom filled with students who were almost the same age as him.
At the time of making the record, Thomas was also 16 days younger than Alia Sabur, who became the world’s youngest female professor in 2008.
Thomas enrolled at Miami Dade College through a dual-enrolment programme when he was just 10 years old before transferring to Florida International University at 14. By 18, he had earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering with honours.
Despite his age, he said being younger than many professors never felt like an obstacle. “Once you’re in that setting, everyone’s there for the same reason, which is to learn. Age doesn’t really factor into that,” he told Guinness World Records.
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Teaching and learning
He credits his love for STEM to growing up in a family of engineers, particularly his mother, who made complex ideas seem simple. He shared that teaching has also deepened his own understanding, describing the moment when a student’s confusion turns into clarity as one of the most rewarding parts of the job.
”I just focus on trying to do my job well and helping students in whatever I can,” he said.
Now 21, Thomas continues to teach online while pursuing a law degree at the University of Miami. He hopes to specialise in intellectual property law related to science and technology, combining his engineering background with legal expertise.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)