Since 2022, Bas Hellemons has been a PhD fellow at the Criminal Law Section of the UvA. His PhD research focuses on 'hate crimes'; a concept originating in the United States and used to describe and highlight discrimination-related violence. Bas investigates the possible place of this concept within Dutch criminal law. He also studies other forms of discrimination in substantial criminal law, as evidenced by his publications on the own-initiative bill to introduce discriminatory intent as an aggravating circumstance and on the public prosecutor's policy on the prosecution of criminal offences with a discrimination aspect.

Bas Hellemons is closely involved in teaching in the Criminal Law Section. In the Bachelor, he gives tutorials to first-year law students in the course "Strafrecht". In the Master, he has been providing lectures and working groups in the course "Verdieping materieel Strafrecht" since 2023, using the theme of discrimination to introduce students to in-depth doctrines such as justification of criminal liability, legality and law interpretation, intent, and the limitation of criminal liability due to fundamental rights. He also supervises undergraduate and graduate theses.