An 18-year-old from the US state of Florida has become the world's youngest college professor.
According to Guinness World Records, Nathan Thomas was appointed to a teaching position at Miami Dade College in August 2023 at the age of 18 years and 346 days.
Thomas is an exceptionally gifted engineering student. He entered college through a dual-enrolment programme at the age of 10 before transferring to Florida International University at 14.
He completed a master's degree in electrical engineering at the age of 18.
Before Thomas set the record, the title of the world's youngest male professor had been held for 306 years by Colin Maclaurin, who became a professor at the age of 19.
Thomas was also 16 days younger than Alia Sabur, who became the world's youngest female professor in 2008 at the age of 18 years and 362 days.
He is currently teaching online courses while studying for a Juris Doctor degree at the University of Miami School of Law. He is expected to complete the degree in 2028.
Thomas said he hopes to work in intellectual property law, with a particular focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Speaking to Guinness World Records, Thomas said engineering taught him to solve complex problems by breaking them into smaller, organised parts, and that he now applies the same approach in law school.
