Which U.S. department does Hawkins Laboratory publicly research for?

Hawkins Laboratory publicly researches for the U.S. Department of Energy in Stranger Things.

The laboratory is a government facility near Hawkins, Indiana, presented to residents as a site for scientific research. Its official connection to the Department of Energy helps conceal the far more dangerous work taking place below ground.

Dr. Martin Brenner's team secretly studies psychic abilities and conducts experiments involving children, including Eleven. The laboratory's research ultimately leads to contact with, and the opening of a portal to, the Upside Down.

A common mix-up is choosing the Department of Defense because the story involves weapons research and military involvement. The Department of Energy is the department named in the laboratory's public-facing cover, while the facility's secret experiments go well beyond ordinary energy research.