Michael J. Miller has been a researcher in Japan for more than 20 years, having worked in the Department of Aquatic Bioscience at The University of Tokyo in Tokyo; Nihon University in Fujisawa, Kanagawa; The Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute of the University of Tokyo in Kashiwa, Chiba; and the former Ocean Research Institute of the University of Tokyo in Nakano, Tokyo. His research and the studies by his colleagues focus on marine and freshwater eel life history, biology, and behavioral ecology, especially on eel larvae (called leptocephali). He primarily analyzes catch data of leptocephali from many research cruises in relation to hydrographic structure and ocean current patterns to learn about the biodiversity, spawning areas, larval distribution strategies, and recruitment mechanisms of eels. These studies also include international collaborations with scientists in other countries such as Indonesia, France, Germany, and Austria on a wide range of related subjects. Other research interests include the unusual feeding ecology of leptocephali. He has 175 publications with 4471 citations and an h-index of 39 (Scopus, 10 October 2023).