The Fellowships support the final year of dissertation writing for PhD candidates in the humanities and social sciences whose work addresses topics of women and gender. The program encourages original and significant research about women that crosses disciplinary, regional, or cultural boundaries. Previous Fellows have explored such topics as transnational religious education for Muslim women, the complex gender roles of transidentity management, and women's electoral success across racial and institutional contexts. Since the first Women's Studies Fellows were named, nearly 500 scholars have been funded. Notably, a number of the Fellows volunteer their time as reviewers to help select new Women's Studies Fellows and enthusiastically support the next generation of scholars exploring women's issues and matters of gender.