 Neves graduated with a degree in Biological Sciences from University of São Paulo in 1981, and did pre-doctorate work at Stanford University and UC-Berkeley in 1982.He earned his doctorate in Biological Sciences from University of São Paulo in 1984, and did post-doctorate work at the Center for American Archeology at the University of Illinois in 1985 and at the USP's Department of Anthropology from 1991 to 1992.He also earned a "Livre Docência" degree (a postdoctorate title earned by submitting a second thesis) in Human Evolution at the USP's Department of Genetics and Biological Evolution in 2000.