In 1985 he graduated from Vilnius Pedagogical Institute with a degree in English. He worked as an editor in newspapers and magazines, in creative organisations, taught at Vilnius Pedagogical University in 1993-1997, at Vilnius University in 1993-1996, 1998 and since 2008, and at Vilnius Gediminas Technical University in 1995. In 2006 he defended his doctoral dissertation in humanities (art history), and since 2010 he has been a professor.
In 1998-2005 Almantas Samalavičius worked as a researcher at the Institute of Culture and Art. He has held fellowships at the Universities of Stuttgart (1993) and Illinois (2002). As a visiting professor, he has taught at the University of Illinois (USA), Kyanpock National University (South Korea), Diponegoro University (Indonesia) and other universities. He has lectured at universities in Helsinki, Rome, Basque Country, Florence, Alcala and elsewhere. 2004-2006 Chairman of the Council of the Vilnius Academy of Arts, 2010-2013 Member of the Council of Culture and Art of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania. President of the Lithuanian PEN Centre 1993-2003 and 2007-2011