Academic leadership is considered a key factor in university and research institute development. In a competitive environment, the role of academic leadership has become increasingly important. At present, China is committed to building world-class universities and advanced research institutes, while academic leadership is one of the key factors. Thus, what is the ideal academic leadership in China's institutional environment? What professional qualities should principal investigators have? This study investigates these issues with in-depth interviews of six principal investigators. The finding shows that the definition of academic leadership by principal investigators refers to academic expertise, assigning the team member, setting a direction, academic social skills, managing team member relationships, boosting team morale, and teamwork skills. Furthermore, academic expertise is often supposed to be more important than other abilities. In terms of competence, the definitions of leadership by Chinese principal investigators and the literature on Western academic leadership are similar.