Piotr Machnikowski has been a faculty member at the University of Wrocław since 1998 and has served as Head of the Department of Civil Law and Private International Law since 2007. His academic expertise lies in Polish and Comparative Contract Law, as well as Tort Law.

He has been actively engaged in transnational legal research for many years, initially through the Acquis Group and currently as a member of the European Group on Tort Law.

Alongside his academic career, he is a practising lawyer. After several years of individual practice, he joined the law firm Dentons Europe as of Counsel in 2016.

His work also extends to arbitration, where he serves as an arbitrator in international and domestic commercial disputes, primarily in the fields of mergers and acquisitions, construction, and infrastructure.

Machnikowski has substantial legislative experience. He was a member of the Polish Civil Law Commission from 2013 to 2015 and rejoined in 2024. Additionally, he has served as an expert for the European Commission.

He has been a member of the European Law Institute since 2011 and has served on its Council since 2021.