He graduated from the Faculty of Biology and Earth Sciences at the University of Lodz (1976). He received his doctoral degree in chemistry from the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. He was a research fellow at the University of York in the UK and a professor of biochemistry at the University of Alberta, Canada. Since 1996, he has been a professor of molecular physiology and biophysics at the University of Virginia in the US. He has lectured in South Korea, Australia and at many universities in Europe and the US, among others.
Prof. Derewenda is a specialist in molecular biology and protein crystallography, conducting research on various topics such as smooth muscle contractility and the etiology of hypertension, as well as exploring new drugs against the Ebola virus.
He has authored and co-authored more than 150 scientific papers with very high citation rates. He currently serves as Coeditor of the body of the International Union of Crystallography: Acta Crystallographica Journal. For the past 10 years, he has served as the director of a program implemented at several US universities, facilitating year-long internships in scientific laboratories for Polish students. He was awarded the "Universitatis Lodziensis Amico" badge by the Senate of the University of Lodz and the "Distinguished Service to the Technical University of Lodz" badge by the Senate of the University of Lodz.