Michalis A. Tiverios studied at the Faculty of Philosophy of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and obtained his doctorate from the institution in 1976. He continued his studies at the Archaeological Institute of Bonn, as a scholarship holder of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (1977-1979). From 1975 to 2014, when he retired and received the title of emeritus professor, he taught (since 1987 as a full professor) at the Faculty of Philosophy of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in the Department of History and Archaeology. From 1989 to 1993, he served as Chairman of the Department, and from 1997 to 1999, he was Director of its Postgraduate Studies program. He directed excavations, among other sites, in the ancient settlements near present-day Sindos (1990-2002) and at Karabournaki in Thessaloniki (1994-2014).

In 2011, he was elected a regular member of the Academy of Athens in the Class of Letters and Fine Arts in the field of Archaeology [Ceramics]. He has been a member of, among other positions, the plenary of the Greek National Commission for UNESCO, the National Advisory Council for Research (1994-1998), and the National Council for Research and Technology (2001-2004 and 2008-2009). He is a member of many scientific committees and institutions, such as the Academia Scientiarum et Artium Europaea, the German Archaeological Institute in Berlin, and the American Archaeological Institute. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Cultural Foundation of the National Bank (1995-2015, 2021-) and the Central Archaeological Council (2014-2015, 2019-). In 1999, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bern.