Dennis Hedback
Dennis Hedback is a Phd student in business administration and works at CER - Centre for Research on Economic Relations. His research field is in auditing, where he compares auditors' bankruptcy forecasts against forecasts from artificially intelligent prediction models.
Who is Dennis Hedback?
Dennis Hedback is turning 33 this year and is a former industrial worker who, after the birth of his second daughter, decided to start studying. He first caught up on missed high school credits at a municipal adult education center (komvux) before pursuing business administration studies at Mid Sweden University. In my free time, I enjoy building things - both virtually and physically, fishing, and cooking.
Why did you become a PhD student?
Mainly because I'm nerdy and enjoy delving deep into subjects that interest me. While I appreciate applying knowledge and believe practical usability is important, I find it equally enjoyable to formalize and reason about knowledge.
Why did you start to be interested in this?
Economics and statistics have been two of my interests since I was a young adult, which has primarily manifested through highly structured and purposeful investing, where I have already utilized large datasets and statistics before starting my studies. However, this has taken a back seat during my years as a student.
What is your research about?
My research is in accounting where I am interested in bankruptcy forecasts, partly auditors’ bankruptcy forecasts and artificially intelligent forecasting models. There are many unexplored aspects of this, both practical and theoretical. I hope through my research to be able to explain why such forecasts go wrong as well as right, explain what consequences might be of making such forecasts, and develop better forecasting methods.
What is it like to be a Phd student at Mid Sweden University?
It's very enjoyable! Having the opportunity to work academically on something I find interesting feels like a fantastic opportunity.
What has been the most enjoyable so far?
Almost everything has been enjoyable so far, but if I have to choose something, it would be the great freedom with responsibility when it comes to organizing and structuring my own work. It feels both liberating and fun.
Dream scenario in terms of the job?
To continue researching and eventually pursue an academic career.