Matheus Santos Amorim grew up in a small town in the southeastern Brazil. It was an agricultural area, and although his family was not involved with agribusiness, he always thought he would work in the industry in some way. At first he thought he would be a veterinarian, but when he learned more about animal production he realized this was what he wanted to do in life.

Matheu studies animal science at the Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (Federal University of the Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys) in Jequitinhonha, Minas Gerais, Brazil. While there, he worked primarily with fish. When he was a senior, he came to the Stein lab for a 3-month internship, with the goal of learning more about swine nutrition.