Born 1949, in Rochester, New York, Dr John Miksic was brought up on a small farm.   His interest in archaeology was triggered when he found arrowheads in the plowed fields.  Dr Miksic's first archaeological experience was in northern Canada when he studied prehistoric Eskimo sites while being a student of Dartmouth College.  After receiving his B.A., Dr Miksic joined the U.S. Peace Corps, spending four years in Malaysia first working at the agriculture department, then teaching mathematics and science to primary school teachers.

Dr Miksic obtained his M.A. in international Affairs from Ohio University in 1974, and his Ph.D from Cornell University in1979.  He has done research on Mayan sites in Honduras, and on many sites in Sumatra, Java and Singapore.  He has spent nine years in Indonesia, for most of the time under Asian Cultural Council and Ford Foundation sponsorship.  Dr John Miksic is now a lecturer in history at the National University of Singapore.

Dr Miksic is also a consultant to the Fort Canning Histroy Centre project to redevelop Fort Canning into a historical park.  Since 1984, he has undertaken  a number of diggings at Fort Canning.  One of his reasons for digging at Fort Canning is the mention in the Sejarah Melayu of a royal existence on the hill of Singapore.  His findings at Fort Canning in 1984 and 1987 have reaffirmed his belief in some parts of the Sejarah. In March 1990, Dr Miksic and his 15-strong team organised another digging at Fort Canning.   The team uncovered religious artefacts dating back to the 14th century.