1. Yaacob bin Ibrahim is a Singaporean former People's Action Party politician who served as minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs between 2002 and 2018, minister for community development, youth and sports between 2002 and 2004, minister for the environment and water resources between 2004 and 2011, minister for communications and information between 2011 and 2018, and minister-in-charge of cyber security between 2015 and 2018.
Yaacob Ibrahim was the Member of Parliament representing the Kolam Ayer division of Jalan Besar GRC between 1997 and 2020.
Yaacob Ibrahim graduated from the University of Singapore with a bachelor's degree with honours in civil engineering in 1980.
Yaacob Ibrahim subsequently went on to obtained a PhD at Stanford University in 1989.
Yaacob Ibrahim started his career as a postdoc at Cornell University.
Yaacob Ibrahim returned to Singapore in 1990 and joined the National University of Singapore in 1991.
Yaacob Ibrahim received his department's teaching excellence award in 1994.
Yaacob Ibrahim took leave of absence from the university as an associate professor to take up public office.
Yaacob Ibrahim made his political debut in the 1997 general election as part of the five-member PAP team contesting in Jalan Besar GRC and won.
Yaacob Ibrahim was parliamentary secretary for communications and information technology and later senior parliamentary secretary.
Yaacob Ibrahim became minister of state for community development and sports in November 2001.
In March 2002, Yaacob Ibrahim became the acting minister for community development and sports and minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs and was made a full Cabinet minister in May 2003.
Yaacob Ibrahim became minister of environment and water resources in 2004.
In 2009, after the Bukit Timah canal burst its banks after a downpour, resulting in parts of Bukit Timah being submerged, Yaacob Ibrahim remarked it was a freak event that "occurs once in 50 years".
In May 2011, as part of a Cabinet reshuffle, Yaacob Ibrahim became minister for information, communication and the arts.
Yaacob Ibrahim continued to serve as the minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs.
Yaacob Ibrahim is the vice-chairman of the party's Central Executive Committee.
In 2017, Yaacob Ibrahim declined competing in the 2017 presidential election and preferred to do policy work.
Yaacob Ibrahim stepped down from the cabinet on 30 April 2018.
Yaacob Ibrahim is currently a professor in practice at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, and an advisor to the Office of the president of the Singapore Institute of Technology and the founding director of the Community Leadership and Social Innovation Centre at SIT.
In October 2024, the Palestinian Scholarship Initiative was launched as a ground-up initiative to sponsor the undergraduate studies of Palestinians in Singapore universities, with Yaacob Ibrahim co-chairing the Scholarship Administration Committee.
Yaacob Ibrahim 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.
Yaacob Ibrahim is married with a son and a daughter.
Yaacob Ibrahim's sister Zuraidah Ibrahim was a former Straits Times journalist now with South China Morning Post.
Yaacob Ibrahim's sister Hamidah Ibrahim was a district judge with the state courts.