M (Margherita) Simonetti, MSc

Margherita is a PhD candidate from Italy who joined the AEP group in July 2025. She is involved in the EU Horizon DETECTIVE project under the guidance and supervision of Prof. Dr. JHH (Justus) Wesseler and K (Kutay) Cingiz PhD. The main objective of DETECTIVE is to develop validated detection methods for New Genomic Techniques (NGT) products, addressing a key barrier to enforceable, risk-based regulation in the European Union. Her part of the work focuses on evaluating the economic implications of introducing such detection technologies, combining an Equilibrium Displacement Model with Real Options Analysis to assess how different labeling and traceability scenarios, applied to soybean and maize, affect market equilibria, welfare distribution, and the pace of NGT adoption across the EU agri-food supply chain.