Miami (US): At his age, the teen from Florida should have been busy shaping his future and enjoying life.
Even as his friends and peers are in the process of choosing a university or settling into their first semester, Nathan Thomas has already made a mark and stood out from the rest.
Nathan has forced his way into the Guinness World Records by becoming the world’s youngest male professor at 18 years and 346 days.
He thereby broke a record that stood for 306 years – in the name of Scottish mathematician Colin Maclaurin, who had become a professor at the age of 19 in 1717.
Nathan has joined Miami Dade College as an engineering instructor, and is teaching students many of whom are almost the same age as him.
That Nathan was exceptionally talented and had an IQ greater than most of his age meant that his academic journey started quite early.
He enrolled in Miami Dade College at the age of 10 through a dual-enrolment programme while continuing his school education.
By 14, Nathan had moved to Florida International University, where he successfully completed his Bachelor’s and Master degrees in Electrical Engineering with honours.
In August 2023, he began teaching COP 2270: C for Engineers, a course that introduces engineering students to C programming and computational problem-solving.
He has now returned to the same college where he was once a child student — this time as a faculty member.
Nathan is not overawed that he is teaching students who are his age or close to it. That is because Nathan believes learning is not determined by age but by curiosity and commitment.
Everyone, according to him, enters the classroom for the same reason — to learn, improve and grow.
What gives him most satisfaction is watching students understand concepts that once seemed difficult.
Of course, Nathan’s ambitions extend beyond engineering.
Alongside teaching, he is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor degree at University of Miami School of Law, from where he is expected to complete his graduation in 2028.
One of his ambitions is to specialise in intellectual property law, so that he can combine his engineering background with legal expertise to help protect innovations in science and technology.
Nathan has many more miles to go, but the journey he has had in his 18 years reflects curiosity, discipline and a genuine love for learning.
