Dr Yaacob Ibrahim

Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-incharge of Muslim Affairs
Civil Engineering, Class of 1980

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim graduated from the University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Civil Engineering (Honours) (1980), and a Master of Science in Civil Engineering (1984). He worked as a structural engineer before proceeding to pursue a PhD at Stanford University in 1984.

In 1990, after a stint at Cornell University as a post-doctoral fellow, he returned to Singapore and joined NUS. He served in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering as an Associate Professor until 1998. During his time at NUS, he received a departmental Teaching Excellence Award and in 1997, co-founded the Centre for Robust Design, which undertook research into reliability issues relating to products and processes of industries in Singapore.

Serving the Community

Dr Yaacob has been active in community service since his school days and has been involved with the Association of Muslim Professionals, Jamiyah, Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura and the Nature Society. He has been a member of various boards and committees, and has served on the boards of the Civil Service College, the National Heritage Board, Temasek Polytechnic, and as a trustee of NTUC Income. He has been associated with Yayasan Mendaki since its formation and has been its Chairman since March 2002. He is also a member of the Steering Committee and Executive Committee for Environment and Water Technologies, one of the Strategic Research Programmes spearheaded by the National Research Foundation.

Serving Singapore

As Minister for Community Development and Sports (now Minister for Communications and Information), Dr Yaacob promoted social cohesion, encouraged volunteer sector growth and accountability, and championed sports for all. Under his leadership, the Singapore Sports School was opened and plans made for a Sports Hub. As a member of the Steering Group on Population set up by MCYS, he helped formulate initiatives and policies to address declining birth rates in Singapore.

As Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs, he worked tirelessly to uplift the living standards, confidence, and resilience of the Malay/Muslim community. He has done much to advance racial harmony and the appreciation of multiracialism.

As Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (2004 – 2011), he helped Singapore secure a reliable and resilient water supply through the development of the “Four National Taps” (water from local catchment areas, imported water, reclaimed water – known as NEWater – and desalinated water). He permitted reservoirs to be used for recreational activities without compromising water quality and called for the enhancement of canals so that they add value to the neighbourhoods and Singapore as a ‘City of Gardens and Water’. Dr Yaacob remains a heartland MP to his constituents in Moulmein-Kallang GRC.

Passionate about environmental ownership and sustainable development

As co-chair of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Sustainable Development (IMCSD), Dr Yaacob continuously emphasises and promotes efforts to deal with the challenge of climate change. The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint launched in April 2009 by the government, sets out Singapore’s strategies to achieve a more vibrant economy as well as a more liveable environment for the future. This Blueprint has been well-received and was commended by the Mexican Environment Minister at the informal Ministerial meeting on climate change.

Recognising His Contributions

In recognition of his outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and nation, he was conferred an Honorary Fellowship by the Institution of Engineering, Singapore (IES), its highest honour.

Honouring an Exceptional Alumnus

Dr Yaacob is an inspiration to all NUS Engineering alumni. The Faculty is proud to have an alumnus of his stature and is pleased to confer the NUS Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award on him in 2010.

 

Article on Dr Yaacob Ibrahim published in AlumNUS, Jan- Mar 2011