Peter Öhman

Tell us about Peter Öhman.

I am responsible for CER, one of the eight research centers at Mid Sweden University. I was born in Stockholm but have lived most of my life in Sundsvall (although I prefer summer to winter). I work a lot but try to find time to take care of my countryside property in Alnö and play tennis and golf.

What is your research about?

In 2007, I defended my dissertation titled "Perspectives on Auditing: Patterns of Thought, Expectation Gaps, and Dilemmas," and I consider myself primarily a researcher in the field of auditing. Since then, I have broadened my research to cover several of CER's priority areas. I collaborate mainly with Jan Svanberg in the field of accounting and auditing and with Darush Yazdanfar in the field of banking and finance. I also collaborate with other researchers at CER and researchers from other universities. Additionally, I work with CER's licentiate and doctoral students who conduct their research in the areas of banking, real estate, insurance, and auditing.

How did you become interested in these areas?

It is related to the focus of CER's activities and the fact that auditors, property appraisers, bank, and insurance professionals grapple with similar problems. I might not be as curious and inquisitive as many of my colleagues, but I am more interested in the writing itself, in other words writing scientific articles, books (including textbooks), book chapters, opinion articles, popular science reports, etc.

Why is your research needed?

That is for others to judge, but the simple answer is that the research we publish at CER receives attention, and our expertise is in demand. I have published articles in international journals with 36 different co-authors. My publications have received over 3000 citations in Google Scholar. I have appointments with international journals, international and national publishers, as well as various national trust assignments, in government inquiries, the Supervisory Board of the Swedish Professional Accountants and the Scientific Council of the Swedish National Audit Office. Another indication of the importance of our research is that we receive research funding from various funders.

How do you allocate your time between research and teaching?

I have the privilege of working with all the main tasks of a university: research, teaching, collaboration, and administration. Currently, most of my time is devoted to administration and collaboration. The time between research and teaching is fairly evenly distributed.

Dream scenario in terms of work?

I am among those who still believe that this is the best job in the world. It is free, diverse, mostly stimulating, and it provides numerous interesting and valuable contacts and exchanges.