There’s plenty of examples of insanity when it comes to some citizens of the state, but every once in a while, there has to be a shining light...right?
A Florida man has officially been named the world’s youngest male professor.
Guinness World Records (GWR) announced in a news release that Nathan Thomas became the youngest male professor ever after accepting an engineering teaching position at Miami Dade College at the age of 18 years and 346 days old.
The title was previously held for 306 years by Colin Maclaurin (1698-1746), who was 19 when he became a professor.
Thomas is 16 days younger than the current holder of the world’s youngest female professor, Alia Sabur. She was 18 years and 362 days old when she became a professor in 2008.
Thomas began teaching COP 2270: C for Engineers to students the same age as him at Miami Dade College in August 2023, according to the GWR news release.
“Once you’re in that setting, everyone’s there for the same reason, which is to learn,” said Thomas, now 21, to GWR. “Age doesn’t really factor into that.”
“I just focus on trying to do my job well and helping students in whatever way I can,” he continued. “If someone’s willing to put in the effort, that’s really all that matters to me.”
As a qualified teacher, he’s responsible for teaching the class complex computing and programming concepts.
“I’m proud to have him as part of our staff,” Manny Perez, Dean of the School of Engineering, Technology & Design, told The Reporter at Miami Dade College. “I think anytime you have the opportunity to meet a person like Nathan, you realize that there is someone special…someone who can serve as an inspiration to our students.”
Thomas was just 10 years old when he dual-enrolled at the same college, before transferring to Florida International University at 14. In the four years that followed, he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering, both with honors.
Thomas is currently teaching online while studying to graduate in 2028 with a Juris Doctor from the University of Miami School of Law. He aims to use the qualification to work in intellectual property law, with a focus on STEM.
“Engineering taught me how to break down complex problems in a structured way, and that’s carried over into how I approach law school now,” Thomas told GWR.