An American engineering prodigy has officially become the world’s youngest male professor after breaking a 306-year-old Guinness World Records milestone, drawing comparisons to the fictional child genius Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory.
While Thomas’ story is real, his extraordinary academic journey is the kind usually seen only in sitcoms.
Nathan Thomas earned the record after becoming an engineering professor at Miami Dade College at just 18 years and 346 days old, ending a record that had stood since Scottish mathematician Colin Maclaurin became a professor at age 19 in 1717.
Thomas started his education early, at just ten years old, he enrolled in two courses at Miami-Dade college, then transferred to Florida International university at fourteen. By eighteen, he earned both Bachelor’s & Master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from FIU with high honors.
In August of 2023, he went back to Miami-Dade college (as a Professor), to teach a class on Computing/Programming to students close to his own age.
When asked if being around his “peers” caused issues, Thomas stated age is irrelevant once in a classroom. “You are all there to learn,” he said, adding, “That is it. Age does not come into play.”
Thomas’ favorite part of teaching is seeing students grasp difficult concepts. He believes teaching himself teaches him just as much.
Although Thomas has made history, he does not plan to stop yet. The 21 year old is still teaching online while pursuing a law degree at the University of Miami.
