diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a9a5aecf42
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+tmp
diff --git a/docker/tableshift.dockerfile b/docker/tableshift.dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..338e532e83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/tableshift.dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+FROM python:3.8-bullseye
+
+RUN apt-get update && DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get install git
+COPY requirements.txt requirements.txt
+RUN python -m pip install --upgrade pip
+RUN python -m pip install -r requirements.txt
+
+RUN mkdir /tableshift
+COPY . /tableshift
+WORKDIR /tableshift
+RUN python -m pip install --no-deps .
+
+# Add tableshift to pythonpath; necessary to ensure
+# tableshift module imports work inside docker.
+ENV PYTHONPATH "${PYTHONPATH}:/tableshift"
diff --git a/environment.yml b/environment.yml
index 76f8918c35..a9df03ecab 100644
--- a/environment.yml
+++ b/environment.yml
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ channels:
 dependencies:
   - python=3.8
   - pip
+  - lightgbm=3.3
   - pip:
     - -r requirements.txt
     - -e .
diff --git a/examples/run_expt.py b/examples/run_expt.py
index 81a11708d5..1ef94c6dce 100644
--- a/examples/run_expt.py
+++ b/examples/run_expt.py
@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 import argparse
 import logging
 
+import torch
 from sklearn.metrics import accuracy_score
 
 from tableshift.core import get_dataset
 from tableshift.models.training import train
 from tableshift.models.utils import get_estimator
+from tableshift.models.default_hparams import get_default_config
+
 
 LOG_LEVEL = logging.DEBUG
 
@@ -23,15 +26,23 @@ def main(experiment, cache_dir, model, debug: bool):
 
     dset = get_dataset(experiment, cache_dir)
     X, y, _, _ = dset.get_pandas("train")
-    estimator = get_estimator(model)
-    estimator = train(estimator, dset)
-    if dset.is_domain_split:
-        X_te, y_te, _, _ = dset.get_pandas("ood_test")
+    config = get_default_config(model, dset)
+    estimator = get_estimator(model, **config)
+    estimator = train(estimator, dset, config=config)
+
+    if not isinstance(estimator, torch.nn.Module):
+        # Case: non-pytorch estimator; perform test-split evaluation.
+        test_split = "ood_test" if dset.is_domain_split else "test"
+        # Fetch predictions and labels for a sklearn model.
+        X_te, y_te, _, _ = dset.get_pandas(test_split)
+        yhat_te = estimator.predict(X_te)
+    
+        acc = accuracy_score(y_true=y_te, y_pred=yhat_te)
+        print(f"training completed! {test_split} accuracy: {acc:.4f}")
+    
     else:
-        X_te, y_te, _, _ = dset.get_pandas("test")
-    yhat_te = estimator.predict(X_te)
-    acc = accuracy_score(y_true=y_te, y_pred=yhat_te)
-    print(f"training completed! test accuracy: {acc:.4f}")
+        # Case: pytorch estimator; eval is already performed + printed by train().
+        print("training completed!")
     return
 
 
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 0776eb1957..c8e359c724 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ botocore==1.29.106
 build==0.10.0
 cachetools==5.2.0
 catalogue==2.0.8
-catboost==1.1.1
+catboost==1.2
 category-encoders==2.6.0
 certifi==2022.09.24
 cffi==1.15.1
@@ -118,7 +118,6 @@ kaggle==1.5.13
 keyring==23.13.1
 kiwisolver==1.4.4
 langcodes==3.3.0
-lightgbm==3.3.3
 lightgbm-ray==0.1.8
 lightning-utilities==0.8.0
 llvmlite==0.39.1
@@ -170,7 +169,6 @@ pkgutil_resolve_name==1.3.10
 platformdirs==2.5.4
 plotly==5.14.0
 pluggy==1.0.0
-pmdarima==1.8.5
 preshed==3.0.8
 prometheus-client==0.13.1
 promise==2.3
diff --git a/tableshift/configs/benchmark_configs.py b/tableshift/configs/benchmark_configs.py
index 171149f6f0..4f0ef7cfd3 100644
--- a/tableshift/configs/benchmark_configs.py
+++ b/tableshift/configs/benchmark_configs.py
@@ -7,8 +7,7 @@
 from tableshift.configs.experiment_config import ExperimentConfig
 from tableshift.configs.experiment_defaults import DEFAULT_ID_TEST_SIZE, \
     DEFAULT_OOD_VAL_SIZE, DEFAULT_ID_VAL_SIZE, DEFAULT_RANDOM_STATE
-from tableshift.core import RandomSplitter, Grouper, PreprocessorConfig, \
-    DomainSplitter
+from tableshift.core import Grouper, PreprocessorConfig, DomainSplitter
 from tableshift.datasets import BRFSS_YEARS, ACS_YEARS, NHANES_YEARS
 from tableshift.datasets.mimic_extract import MIMIC_EXTRACT_STATIC_FEATURES
 from tableshift.datasets.mimic_extract_feature_lists import \
diff --git a/tableshift/core/tabular_dataset.py b/tableshift/core/tabular_dataset.py
index 6afda6d655..74f2dee34b 100644
--- a/tableshift/core/tabular_dataset.py
+++ b/tableshift/core/tabular_dataset.py
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 from torch.utils.data import DataLoader
 
 from tableshift.third_party.domainbed import InfiniteDataLoader
-from .features import Preprocessor, PreprocessorConfig
+from .features import Preprocessor, PreprocessorConfig, is_categorical
 from .grouper import Grouper
 from .metrics import metrics_by_group
 from .splitter import Splitter, DomainSplitter
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ def uid(self) -> str:
     @property
     def is_domain_split(self) -> bool:
         """Return True if this dataset uses a DomainSplitter, else False."""
-        return self.domain_label_colname is not None
+        return isinstance(self.splitter, DomainSplitter)
 
     @property
     def eval_split_names(self) -> Tuple:
@@ -93,10 +93,7 @@ def eval_split_names(self) -> Tuple:
 
     @property
     def domain_split_varname(self):
-        if not self.is_domain_split:
-            return None
-
-        elif isinstance(self.splitter, DomainSplitter):
+        if isinstance(self.splitter, DomainSplitter):
             return self.splitter.domain_split_varname
         else:
             return self.domain_label_colname
@@ -255,8 +252,7 @@ def n_domains(self) -> int:
 
     @property
     def cat_idxs(self) -> List[int]:
-        # TODO: implement this.
-        raise
+        return [i for i, col in enumerate(self._df.columns) if is_categorical(self._df[col])]
 
     def get_domains(self, split) -> Union[List[str], None]:
         """Fetch a list of the domains."""
diff --git a/tableshift/models/compat.py b/tableshift/models/compat.py
index 5e8712ebc7..7f4f2e3d28 100644
--- a/tableshift/models/compat.py
+++ b/tableshift/models/compat.py
@@ -140,7 +140,10 @@ def is_domain_adaptation_model_name(model_name: str) -> bool:
 def is_pytorch_model_name(model: str) -> bool:
     """Helper function to determine whether a model name is a pytorch model.
 
-    ISee description of is_pytorch_model() above."""
+    See description of is_pytorch_model() above."""
+    if model=="catboost":
+        logging.warning("Catboost models are not suported in Ray hyperparameter training."
+                        " Instead, use the provided catboost-specific script.")
     is_sklearn = model in SKLEARN_MODEL_NAMES
     is_pt = model in PYTORCH_MODEL_NAMES
     assert is_sklearn or is_pt, f"unknown model name {model}"
diff --git a/tableshift/models/default_hparams.py b/tableshift/models/default_hparams.py
index d31782ccf1..27e8d79a47 100644
--- a/tableshift/models/default_hparams.py
+++ b/tableshift/models/default_hparams.py
@@ -140,14 +140,15 @@
 
 
 def get_default_config(model: str, dset: TabularDataset) -> dict:
-    """Get a default config for a model by name."""
+    """Get a default config for a model, by name."""
     config = _DEFAULT_CONFIGS.get(model, {})
+    model_is_pt = is_pytorch_model_name(model)
 
     d_in = dset.X_shape[1]
-    if is_pytorch_model_name(model) and model != "ft_transformer":
+    if model_is_pt and model != "ft_transformer":
         config.update({"d_in": d_in,
                        "activation": "ReLU"})
-    elif is_pytorch_model_name(model):
+    elif model_is_pt:
         config.update({"n_num_features": d_in})
 
     if model in ("tabtransformer", "saint"):
@@ -155,7 +156,7 @@ def get_default_config(model: str, dset: TabularDataset) -> dict:
         config["cat_idxs"] = cat_idxs
         config["categories"] = [2] * len(cat_idxs)
 
-    # Models that use non-cross-entropy training objectives.
+    # Set the training objective and any associated hypperparameters.
     if model == "dro":
         config["criterion"] = DROLoss(size=config["size"],
                                       reg=config["reg"],
@@ -170,10 +171,10 @@ def get_default_config(model: str, dset: TabularDataset) -> dict:
         config["criterion"] = GroupDROLoss(n_groups=2)
 
 
-    else:
+    elif model_is_pt:
         config["criterion"] = F.binary_cross_entropy_with_logits
 
-    if is_pytorch_model_name(model) and model != "dann":
+    if model_is_pt and model != "dann":
         # Note: for DANN model, lr and weight decay are set separately for D
         # and G.
         config.update({"lr": 0.01,
@@ -182,9 +183,9 @@ def get_default_config(model: str, dset: TabularDataset) -> dict:
 
     # Do not overwrite batch size or epochs if they are set in the default
     # config for the model.
-    if "batch_size" not in config:
+    if "batch_size" not in config and model_is_pt:
         config["batch_size"] = DEFAULT_BATCH_SIZE
-    if "n_epochs" not in config:
+    if "n_epochs" not in config and model_is_pt:
         config["n_epochs"] = 1
 
     if model == "saint" and d_in > 100:
diff --git a/tableshift/models/torchutils.py b/tableshift/models/torchutils.py
index c960d5d152..a2d30e7c88 100644
--- a/tableshift/models/torchutils.py
+++ b/tableshift/models/torchutils.py
@@ -69,12 +69,16 @@ def apply_model(model: torch.nn.Module, x):
 
 
 @torch.no_grad()
-def get_predictions_and_labels(model, loader, device, as_logits=False) -> Tuple[
+def get_predictions_and_labels(model, loader, device=None, as_logits=False) -> Tuple[
     np.ndarray, np.ndarray]:
     """Get the predictions (as logits, or probabilities) and labels."""
     prediction = []
     label = []
 
+    if not device:
+        device = f"cuda:{torch.cuda.current_device()}" \
+        if torch.cuda.is_available() else "cpu"
+
     modelname = model.__class__.__name__
     for batch in tqdm(loader, desc=f"{modelname}:getpreds"):
         batch_x, batch_y, _, _ = unpack_batch(batch)
diff --git a/tableshift/models/training.py b/tableshift/models/training.py
index 7f20f5f9aa..f129481e0b 100644
--- a/tableshift/models/training.py
+++ b/tableshift/models/training.py
@@ -120,10 +120,13 @@ def get_eval_loaders(
 
 
 def _train_pytorch(estimator: SklearnStylePytorchModel, dset: TabularDataset,
-                   device: str,
                    config=PYTORCH_DEFAULTS,
+                   device: str=None,
                    tune_report_split: str = None):
     """Helper function to train a pytorch estimator."""
+    if not device:
+        device = f"cuda:{torch.cuda.current_device()}" \
+             if torch.cuda.is_available() else "cpu"
     logging.debug(f"config is {config}")
     logging.debug(f"estimator is of type {type(estimator)}")
     logging.debug(f"dset name is {dset.name}")
diff --git a/tableshift/models/utils.py b/tableshift/models/utils.py
index 95dcb87357..cda392692b 100644
--- a/tableshift/models/utils.py
+++ b/tableshift/models/utils.py
@@ -22,7 +22,21 @@
 from tableshift.models.wcs import WeightedCovariateShiftClassifier
 
 
-def get_estimator(model, d_out=1, **kwargs):
+def get_estimator(model:str, d_out=1, **kwargs):
+    """
+    Fetch an estimator for training.
+
+    Args:
+        model: the string name of the model to use.
+        d_out: output dimension of the model (set to 1 for binary classification).
+        kwargs: named arguments to pass to the model's class constructor. These
+            vary by model; for more details see below. Note that only a specific
+            subset of the kwargs will be used; passing arbitrary kwargs not accepted by
+            the model's class constructor will result in those kwargs being ignored.
+    Returns:
+        An instance of the class specified by the `model` string, with
+            any hyperparameters set according to kwargs.
+    """
     if model == "aldro":
         assert d_out == 1, "assume binary classification."
         return AdversarialLabelDROModel(