Miller earned his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, moving from a broad background in biblical studies and ancient languages to a specialization in Northwest Semitic philology. He is well acquainted with the details and complexities inherent in the data derived from the study of the ancient world. Also a keen photographer, Miller is adept at bringing to life low-relief incisions and long-faded ink inscriptions on ancient clay tablets using BetterLight scanning and RTI (reflectance transformation imaging) techniques.