Dr. Potempa earned his Ph.D. and D.Sc. (habilitation) in Biochemistry in 1982 and 1993, respectively, from Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.  In 1985-1988 he conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Georgia and from 1989 to 2008, he worked there as a Senior Research Scientist. From January 2009, Dr. Potempa was recruited to the University of Louisville Dental School as a Professor and Academic Scholar.  Simultaneously, Dr. Potempa maintained his teaching and research position at the Jagiellonian University since 1983, where he was head of Department of Microbiology since 2001 and promoted to Research Professor in 2005. 

 Bacterial pathogens interaction with the innate immunity system, proteolytic enzymes of bacterial pathogens