18-Year-Old American Becomes World’s Youngest Male Professor

(Nathan Thomas. Photo Credit: Punch News)

After shattering a record that has stood for more than three centuries, American engineer and educator Nathan Thomas has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the youngest male professor ever.

As our correspondent saw on Wednesday, Guinness World Records stated on its website on July 23, 2026, that Thomas set the record when he became a faculty member at Miami Dade College in August 2023 at the age of 18 years and 346 days.

When he walked into his first class to teach COP 2270: C for Engineers, most of his students were teenagers, just like him.

Thomas, born on September 9, 2004, succeeded Scottish mathematician Colin Maclaurin, who became a professor at the age of 19 in 1717 and had held the record for 306 years.

He was also 16 days younger than American engineer Alia Sabur, when she became the world's youngest female professor in 2008.

Here are nine things to know about him:

He made history by becoming the world's youngest male professor at 18, joining the faculty of Miami Dade College in August 2023 at the age of 18 years and 346 days, breaking a record that, according to Guinness World Records, had stood for 306 years.

When he entered the classroom for the first time, many of his students were roughly his own age, though he said age was never a barrier since everyone present shared the same goal of learning, adding that he simply focused on doing his job well and supporting students willing to put in the effort.

His academic journey began unusually early, having enrolled at Miami Dade College through a dual-enrolment programme at age 10, before transferring to Florida International University at 14.

By the age of 18, he had completed both his bachelor's and master's degrees in Electrical Engineering, graduating with honours in both, at a stage when many of his peers were only just preparing to start university.

He grew up in a family of engineers, with both parents in the profession, and said his interest in STEM developed naturally as a result, crediting his mother in particular for helping him grasp complex concepts by making them feel simple.

He believes teaching strengthens his own understanding of a subject, noting that explaining something forces deeper comprehension, and describing seeing students grasp difficult concepts as one of the most rewarding parts of being a lecturer.

After launching his teaching career, he enrolled for a Juris Doctor degree at the University of Miami School of Law, where he plans to specialise in intellectual property law with a focus on STEM, and is expected to graduate in 2028.

Outside academics, he enjoys basketball, tennis and golf, is a fan of the Boston Celtics and New England Patriots, plays classical piano, and listens to Drake as well as EDM and house music.

He also encourages people to chart their own paths rather than compare themselves with others, stressing that everyone's journey looks different even when the goals appear similar, and that consistency and patience ultimately produce results over time.

His achievement has attracted global attention, not only for breaking a 306-year-old record but also for demonstrating that academic excellence and a passion for teaching can begin at an exceptionally young age.