In 'Stranger Things', what is the name of the lab that experiments on Eleven?

The story behind the answer

In Stranger Things, the lab that experiments on Eleven is Hawkins National Laboratory.

Publicly presented as a U.S. Department of Energy research facility in Hawkins, Indiana, the laboratory secretly conducts paranormal research and human experiments under Dr. Martin Brenner. Eleven is raised there as test subject 011, alongside other children with unusual abilities.

The laboratory is central to the series’ mystery. Brenner’s experiments use sensory-deprivation techniques to develop Eleven’s remote-viewing powers, and one experiment accidentally helps open a gateway to the Upside Down. Eleven escapes the facility in 1983, beginning the chain of events that brings her together with Mike, Dustin, and Lucas.

It is often casually called “Hawkins Lab,” but Hawkins National Laboratory is the facility’s full name. It should also not be confused with Starcourt Mall, which hides a different secret operation beneath it in the third season.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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