18-year-old teenager from Florida broke a 306-year-old record and became the youngest professor in history

Most people in their late teens are still figuring out what they want to study in college. One teenager skipped that step entirely and jumped straight to teaching, setting a record along the way.

For most 18-year-olds, college means attending lectures, meeting classmates, and starting the long road toward a degree. Some start at 17 depending on their birthday, others take a gap year after high school, but nearly everyone shows up to learn, not to teach.

Nathan Thomas took a different path – he became the youngest professor in history at just 18, breaking a record that had stood for more than three centuries.

Born on September 9, 2004, Nathan has been teaching engineering students at Miami Dade College since 2023, when he was only 18 years old.

Despite his age, Nathan is a fully qualified instructor with an unusual academic path behind him. He first enrolled at Miami Dade College through a dual enrollment program at age 10, then transferred to Florida International University at 14.

By the time he turned 18 – the age when most people are just starting college – Nathan had already earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree in electrical engineering, graduating with honors both times.

Returning to Miami Dade College at 18 years and 346 days old, he officially became the youngest male professor in history, breaking a record that had stood for 306 years. The previous record belonged to Scottish mathematician Colin Maclaurin, who became a professor at 19 in the early 1700s.

Nathan also came in 16 days younger than Alia Sabur, who set the record for youngest female professor in the world back in 2008 at 18 years and 362 days old.

Speaking with Guinness World Records about teaching students who are often close to him in age, Nathan explained that he never really thought much about it:

Once you're in that setting, everyone is there for the same reason, to learn. Age doesn't really play a role in that. I just try to do my job well and help students in whatever way I can. If someone is willing to put in the effort, that's really the only thing that matters to me.

Nathan now teaches online engineering courses while also pursuing a law degree, which he expects to finish in 2028.