Diane Atkinson, (Dr. Di to her Study Abroad students) has a huge passion for history, especially women’s social history from the 1600s to the present day. 

Her M.A in Life-writing is from the University of East Anglia, her Ph.D. was awarded by the University of London. Her work in television, radio and podcasting is driven by her commitment to sharing and interpreting the lived lives of British women. Her book Love and Dirt: the Marriage of Arthur Munby and Hannah Cullwick considers class and gender in the context of a forbidden Victorian marriage between a gentleman and a servant; Elsie and Mairi Go To War: Two Extraordinary Women on the Western Front told   for the first time of the only women who served on the front line during the First World War ; The Criminal Conversation of Mrs Norton described the sexual double standards of Victorian Britain and the  work of Caroline Norton, the architect of the first feminist legislation in Parliament and a profound influencer of legislation against the inequality suffered by Victorian wives. Diane’s latest book Rise Up, Women! The Remarkable Lives of the Suffragettes is the definitive account of the British militant women’s suffragette campaign, a biography of a hundred brilliant activists.  

Diane sets her students the highest standards. She lives to teach and teaches to live.  

Céline Chataing joined the IES Abroad Paris team in 2008 as a Housing Coordinator. She was promoted to Housing Manager in 2015 and advanced to her current role as Head of Student Life and Facilities Manager in 2022. In this position, Céline oversees all aspects of student housing, student affairs, and center maintenance. She also regularly participates in special projects, including planning the 2024 IES Abroad Board Meeting and coordinating the search for a new Paris Center.

In addition to her work at IES Abroad, Céline serves as Treasurer on the Executive Council of the Association of American University Programs in France (APUAF), where she contributes her expertise to the broader international education community.

Before joining IES Abroad, Céline worked as both a translator and a real estate agent, bringing valuable cross-disciplinary experience to her current role. She holds a Master’s degree in English and an advanced degree in audiovisual translation from the University of Paris X – Nanterre. As part of her academic journey, she also spent a year studying abroad at Florida Atlantic University.