16-year-old becomes youngest to receive Ph.D. in the US, university claims

Mike Wimmer truly is a winner.

At just 12 years old, he graduated high school and acquired his associate’s degree – all in one year.

At 14, he received his bachelor’s degree.

And now, at just 16 years old, Wimmer will receive his Ph.D., in addition to two master’s degrees he’s acquired over the last two years.

The teenage entrepreneur is the youngest person in the United States to receive his Ph.D., according to Carolina University, where he received his doctorate.

"I’m super excited to have gotten to this point," he told FOX Local.

Ph.D. at 16

Wimmer got his Ph.D. by taking online and in-person classes and did his dissertation on innovation.

"I always had the desire to solve problems in new ways that have never been done before," Wimmer continued. "So, this is the perfect topic for me. It’s what I’ve been doing."

Dig deeper:

The teen used a real-life example on which he based his dissertation.

Wimmer has developed a commercially viable and remotely operated vehicle to combat the lionfish population in the Atlantic Ocean.

Lionfish are an invasive species and Wimmer hopes his newest invention will help combat their numbers.

"I wanted to do my research on something that could have a physical impact on the world, and for me, what better way to do that than to actually build an innovative product that has a positive environmental impact," Wimmer explained.

Wimmer not only completed his doctorate, but was simultaneously running his three companies: Next Era Innovations, Insta Grade AI, and Reflect Social. 

Newest invention unveiled

During the university’s graduation ceremony, not only was Wimmer a guest speaker, but he unveiled his latest invention.

It’s called a Reef Sweeper.

The vehicle operates underwater and is capable of identifying, neutralizing and collecting lionfish.

Once it reaches capacity, the ROV returns to the surface, offloads and repeats.

The Reef Sweeper uses an AI system named ALFREDD (also created by Mike) to carry out its operation. 

Big picture view:

Wimmer is working with Atlantic Lionshare Ltd. to utilize his ROV with its mission to control the lionfish population "on a larger and ecologically significant scale." 

Time to relax

What's next:

Outside of running his companies, Wimmer said he planned to relax during his summer vacation.

School is over and he’s got his driver’s license, which means Wimmer will be cruising around in his Corvette and possibly taking a Disney Cruise.

"I’m still 16, so I’m going to have time by the pool, do normal 16-year-old stuff," Wimmer said. 

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