Peter Öhman

Tell us about Peter Öhman.

I am the Director of CER, one of Mid Sweden University’s eight research centres. I was born in Stockholm but have lived mostly in Sundsvall (even though I enjoy summer far more than winter). I work a lot, but I try to make time for our country place on Alnö as well as for tennis and golf.

What is your research about?

In 2007, I defended my dissertation Perspectives on Auditing: Mindsets, Expectation Gaps and Dilemmas, and I still primarily see myself as an auditing researcher. Since then, I have broadened my scope to cover several of CER’s priority areas.

I have collaborated extensively with Jan Svanberg in the field of accounting and auditing, and with Darush Yazdanfar in banking and finance. At present, I lead several projects together with my colleague Mustafa Nourallah, and I also collaborate internationally with Tarek Rana at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. In other projects, I work with researchers from universities in and outside Sweden, researchers at CER, as well as PhD students and licentiate students whose doctoral work focuses on banking, insurance, and auditing.

How did you become interested in these areas?

It is closely linked to CER’s focus, where auditors, real estate valuers, and professionals in banking and insurance often deal with similar challenges. Unlike some of my colleagues, I may not be as curious by nature—I am more drawn to the act of writing itself: producing scientific articles, books (including textbooks), book chapters, debate pieces, and popular science reports.

Why is your research needed?

That is really for others to judge, but the simple answer is that the research findings CER publishes—both nationally and internationally—are being noticed, and our expertise is in demand. Altogether, I have published articles and books with 56 different co-authors, of whom 26 are from other Swedish universities and 11 from international institutions. My publications have received more than 4,000 citations on Google Scholar.

I have held positions with international journals, both international and national publishers, and served in national expert roles, including governmental inquiries, the Supervisory Board of Public Accountants, and the Scientific and Examination Councils of the Swedish National Audit Office. Another indication of the value of our research is that we continue to secure external research funding from a variety of sources.

How do you allocate your time between research and teaching?

I am fortunate to work across all of a university’s core missions: research, teaching, collaboration, and administration. Currently, most of my time is devoted to administration and external engagement. The rest is divided fairly evenly between research and teaching.

Dream scenario in terms of work?

I am among those who still consider this to be one of the best jobs in the world. It is free, varied, usually stimulating, and it provides countless valuable contacts and exchanges.