The Research Leaders Group sets the policy framework for the ongoing research operations of the Institute. It provides advice and planning around research objectives, sub-themes, project development and performance, and it oversees the major and emerging research programs and development of grants.

Membership of the Research Leaders Group is based on the following criteria:

• Directors of affiliated RMIT centres and CRCs; and the directors of other relevant affiliated Research Institutes at RMIT.
• Affiliated Innovation Professors. Innovation Professors working in the area of the Institute will automatically be on the Global Cities Leaders Group and drawn into a co-ordinating role in relation to research development. They will leaders or central figures in the research teams.
• Research Managers of each of the Programs in the Global Cities Institute (appointed by the Global Cities Institute Director)
• Program Managers of Major Research Programs within the Global Cities Institute (appointed by the Global Cities Director in consultation with the Program Leaders)

Under those criteria the following people form the current membership of the Research Leaders Group:

Aliakbar Akbarzadeh, Caroline Bayliss, Chris Chamberlain, John Fien, John Handmer, Peter Hayes, Ralph Horne, Paul James, Tom Nairn, Felicity Roddick, Supriya Singh, Manfred Steger, Liuping Wang, Gavin Wood, Christoper Ziguras, Peter Phipps, Damian Grenfell, Jeff Lewis, Yaso Nadarajah 

The following have executive standing positions:

• Prof. Paul James, Director of the Global Cities Institute
• Prof. John Fein, Institute Research Manager (Business Development and International Partnerships)
• Prof. Felicity Roddick, Institute Research Manager (Environmental Sciences and Engineering)

Directors of Affiliated RMIT Centres

• Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute, GSSSP (Prof. Gavin Wood)
• Centre for Alternative and Renewable Energy (Prof. Aliakbar Akbarzadeh)
• Centre for Applied Social Research, GSSSP (A/Prof. Chris Chamberlain)
• Centre for Design (Dr Ralph Horne)
• Centre for Risk and Community Safety (Prof. John Handmer)
• Cooperative Research Centre for Water Quality (Prof. Felicity Roddick)
• Electrical Engineering and Control Systems research group (Prof. Liuping Wang)
• Globalism Institute, GSSSP (Prof. Paul James)
• Global Sustainability@RMIT (Ms Caroline Bayliss)
• Nautilus Institute (Prof. Peter Hayes)
• CRC for Construction Innovation (Prof. Ron Wakefield)
• CRC for Bushfires (Prof. John Handmer)
• CRC for Water Quality and Treatment (Prof. Felicity Roddick)

Affiliated Innovation Professors

• Prof. Paul James
• Prof. John Fien
• Prof. John Handmer
• Prof. Tom Nairn
• Prof. Heikki Patomäki